Emirates Airline Mandates Workers to Embark on Compulsory Unpaid Leave in the Wake of Coronavirus Pandemic

Emirates Airline has mandated its workers to embark on compulsory unpaid leave for up to a month in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The airline which is one of the biggest in the world has also canceled flights around the world as precautions in curbing the spread of coronavirus.

According to reports, the virus has spread to more than 60 countries, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to raise its risk assessment to its highest level. Subsequently, countries have also placed restrictions on the entry of foreigners. Emirates Airline has canceled flights to Iran, Bahrain and to most parts of China because of the disease and based on directives from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed in an initial assessment of the coronavirus impact that global airlines are expected to lose an estimated $29.3 billion in revenue in 2020. Also, 5% lower than forecast in December, due to an estimated 4.7% decline in travel demand. This is due to the fact that the outbreak has led to fewer bookings and more event cancellations.

According to the Chief Operating Officer of Emirates, Adel al-Redha in a statement, the airline has additional resources, especially due to the cancellation of flights in some destinations, which is the reason it wants employees to utilise their leave now.

Al-Redha said, “The airline has more resources than it needs as a result of cutting frequencies or canceling flights to some destinations, we have provided our employees with the option to avail leave or apply for voluntary unpaid leave for up to one month at a time.”

Also, the Emirates Group, airline’s parent company, has also asked staff in an internal email to consider taking paid and unpaid leave as it seeks to manage a measurable slowdown in its business.

The Airline reportedly has more than 100,000 employees, including over 21,000 cabin crew and 4,000 pilots, as at the end of March 2019, the end of its last financial year.