Emirates Airlines announced that it will stop this week almost all passenger transport flights, and will reduce the salaries of its employees by up to half; in light of the decline in demand for travel due to Corona Virus Outbreak.
According to Reuters, the company has already announced the suspension of about 70 percent of its network of 159 destinations and asked its employees to start leave without pay and stopped hiring new employees in light of one of the biggest challenges facing the sector.
"As an international air carrier, we find ourselves in a position that does not enable us to operate passenger services effectively until the countries of the world reopen their borders and restore confidence in air travel," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a statement.
The Dubai-based airline, which initially announced that it will stop all passenger flights by Wednesday, will continue to provide some services to 13 countries for the return of citizens at the request of governments.
She said the flights will continue as long as the borders are open and there is demand. Shipping flights will continue, too.
The airline operates a fleet of 270 aircraft, most of which are Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 passengers.
Emirates employees told Reuters they were not surprised by the decision to suspend most of the flights.
"There is really no other option," said one of them, asking not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media
International interconnection is essential to the Gulf Center model represented by Emirates, which transformed Dubai six years ago into the busiest international airport in the world. The company does not operate domestic flights, and most of its passengers cross Dubai during their trips.
The Emirates Group, a government holding company affiliated with Emirates Airlines, will impose a temporary reduction in the basic salary of the majority of its employees by 25 to 50 percent.
"I feel suspicious about the future, but at least we still have our jobs and get paid," said an employee.
The group had 100,000 employees, including more than 21,000 crew members and 4,000 pilots, by the end of March 2019, the end of the group's last fiscal year.
Emirates Airlines President Tim Clark, who is due to step down in June, and Gary Chapman, president of Airports and Travel Services for the holding group, said they would waive their basic salaries for three months.
Sheikh Ahmed said that the company wanted to avoid job cuts.
He added in an e-mail to the employees, seen by Reuters, that he was confident that the airline he had headed since its foundation in 1985 would survive, and asked the employees to keep ...
