Tuesday, May 19, 2020

mirates and Qatar Airways, leading international carriers at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia, are set to shed tens of thousands of jobs amid what looks to be a protracted global recession.

Emirates Airline, whose hub Dubai served the most international travelers of any airport in 2019, is reportedly preparing to lay off 30,000 employees, Bloomberg said Sunday.

The carrier did not immediately respond to Asia Times’ request for comment, but the news comes during a protracted global slowdown sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Qatar Airways, in rival Doha, is meanwhile prepping to let go approximately 9,000 members of its workforce.

“Unfortunately, we will have to lay off about 20% of our workforce, equal to the number of aircraft that will not resume flights,” CEO Akbar al-Baker told the BBC on Thursday.

“The decision was very difficult, but we had no alternative,” he said.