Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, has started another round of layoffs, slashing 800 jobs in a day. The senior pilots with over 12 years of experience were not spared either. While 560 of the pilots fired belonged to the A380 fleet, 240 were from the B777 crew. Almost all the Indian pilots employed with the airline have lost their jobs.
In the earlier round, over a month back, the airline had laid off about 180 pilots undergoing Airbus A380 type-rating training and about 400 cabin crew who were on probation. In June, the layoffs were suspended, and now the downsizing exercise has been resumed. According to media reports, some employees even committed suicide following the first round of layoffs.
This second round does not really come as a surprise because after the first phase of layoffs, the airline had revealed that if the financial situation fails to improve, there will be more layoffs.
With airports sealed during the lockdown, and thousands of flights being grounded the world over, the aviation sector took a bit hit owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the third week of May itself, the Emirates Group had disclosed its intention to cut down its workforce by 30 per cent and retire its fleet of A380s.
In total, the airline had planned to lay off 30,000 employees. The Group had at the time stated that it was focussing on conserving cash, safeguarding its business and preserving its workforce.
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