Emirates asks its pilots for 1 year of free leave

The Air company Emirates, based in Dubai, approached the company’s pilots with a bad offer. On November 4, 2020, an Emirates spokesperson confirmed a Gulf News that the airline offered some of its pilots free 12-month leave with the possibility that they would be back in service much sooner. Emirates explained that the exact time pilots would be asked to return to the cockpit depended on the pace of resumption of travel demand.

The airline’s decision would force its pilots to face financial problems, as most of the Emirati flight crew are citizens of foreign countries and the UAE government does not provide financial support to foreigners. Meanwhile, a spokesperson clarified that the airline will continue to provide accommodation for pilots and medical coverage.

An airline spokesperson, reported:

We continue to do all we can to protect our talent pool for business recovery from a pandemic, but we also need to consider the impact of the current situation on our operations and cost basis. Throughout the Group we are implementing various offers that include unpaid leave and more flexible working time models ”.

In early July 2020, the airline announced its plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs to save costs and cope with the sharp decline in demand for air travel. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Emirates had a total of 60,000 employees.