Emirates asks employees to go on leave

dubai — Emirates Group has asked its staff to consider taking paid and unpaid leave as its expects “measurable slowdown” in business because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

“A particular challenge for us right now is dealing with the impact of the Covid-19. We’ve seen a measurable slowdown in business across our brands, and a need for flexibility in the way we work,” Emirates said in an e-mail statement sent to its employees.

The group — which owns Emirates airline, dnata, Emirates Skycargo and a number of other subsidiaries — employs over 100,000 staff members including 21,000 cabin crew and 4,000 pilots.

A spokeswoman from Emirates confirmed the e-mail. In a statement issued to KT, she said: “We can confirm the email was sent to our employees. The leave we are asking employees to take is voluntary. It is at the employees’ discretion if they want to take it or not.”

The group asked its staff members who have “accrued a significant balance of annual leave” to consider taking paid leave. It also said the company was offering unpaid leave to employees in non-operational roles and may offer it to operational staff.

“In all cases, we strongly encourage you to take up this opportunity if you have the support and approval of your line manager,” the e-mail said.

Individuals and companies are curtailing travel plans as part of safety measures. Considering this situation, airlines in the region and worldwide are expected to suffer financially, experts said.

“At a time when air travel is under pressure all over the world as a result of Covid-19, it’s no surprise that Emirates, alongside other airlines, is taking steps to mitigate against fluctuating demand. We’ve already seen the likes of Cathay Pacific offering unpaid leave to over 25,000 employees, a totally unprecedented move,” said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.