Etihad Airways plans to lay off hundreds of pilots

July 18, 2020: Etihad Airways is reportedly planning to carry out further downsizing and lay off up to 400 pilots, media reports suggest.

In a message to staff, Sulaiman Yaqoobi, vice president of flight operations at the UAE flag carrier, said that as the COVID-19 pandemic continued the Gulf airline was unable to sustain the number of employees it had.

According to the details of Baaghi TV, Etihad Airways plan to lay off hundreds of pilots, joining its global peers in becoming leaner to cope with the pandemic that has devastated air travel demand. Etihad Airways has reduced wages and grounded most of its passenger fleet to preserve cash during the crisis that has resulted in massive losses for the global aviation industry.

Emirates, Etihad extend temporary salary cuts to September

Earlier, Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways extended the period of salary deduction for their staff until September as they try to preserve cash during the global coronavirus pandemic.