Eight months salary as bonus! That is what employees of Singapore Airlines have been rewarded with. The good news was shared by Goh Choon Phong, CEO, Singapore Airlines who acknowledged the sincerity and hard work of the employees.
As per a CNN report, Singapore Airlines posted a net profit of a whopping $1.98 billion in the financial year 2023-24. With people worldwide taking to travelling with a vengeance after the pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, most airlines have been really busy, especially in the last two years.
For the sixth consecutive year, Singapore Airlines was also awarded the best airline in the world by The Skytrax World Airline Awards last year.
The airline did face its share of challenges during the pandemic. The Airline had revealed its intention to lay off 4,300 employees, which is 20 per cent of its workforce on 10 September, 2020 amidst the pandemic. The downsizing was to affect Silk Air and Scoot too. Most of its employees were on unpaid leave and those who were not flying had stopped getting any flight allowances either. However, the pilots of SIA were, at the time, willing to take further pay cuts to remain employed. On 18 September 2020, an agreement was reached between Singapore Airlines and the Air Line Pilots Association, that with effect from 1 October, all re-employed captains will get 60 per cent less salary and the first officers will have their salaries deducted by 50 per cent. The sacrifices made by the employees in those tough times have surely paid off.
