Emirates in new round of lay-offs after coronavirus hits finances

Dubai-based carrier Emirates enacted another round of job cuts after suffering huge financial losses due to the coronavirus epidemic.

A second day of redundancies were made Wednesday following the dismissal of thousands of pilots, cabin crew, and ground staff a day earlier, according Reuters.

The airline did not comment on the reports of more job cuts but the agency said a source said more lay-offs were expected for Airbus (AIR.PA) A380 and Boeing (BA.N) 777 pilots.

Some 600 pilots and 6,500 cabin crew members were let go by the airline this week, The Telegraph reported, noting that sources confirmed that employees were taken in groups to the meetings where they were told the news.

A minority of the national carrier’s 3,000 engineers were also affected by the move, Bloomberg added.

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 6, 2020" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post "#Dubai faces an uncertain future as plunging oil prices and a global economic downturn threaten another debt-fuelled crisis" https://t.co/s3HGIFyIXj — The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 6, 2020

Emirates has been grounded since March, when the global coronavirus pandemic hit the UAE, forcing citizens worldwide to remain at home and cancel all planned holidays and trips abroad.

Last week, the UAE's Emirates Airline said it would have to start laying-off staff, according to a report by Reuters, which cited company sources.

The Dubai-based airline, which has around 60,000 employees, did not say how many of their workers were affected by the decision.

Before the coronavirus crisis limited flight operations, Emirates was flying to 157 destinations in 83 countries.

Most flights around the world have been grounded due to the coronavirus epidemic, which has seen borders closed and curfews enacted.

The airline industry has been hit hard, with governments across the world having to bail-out national carriers.