US plane maker Boeing will cut 17,000 jobs, 10 per cent of its global workforce, delay the first delivery of its 777X jet by a year and expects substantial losses in its defence business as a month-long strike has damaged company finances, chief executive Kelly Ortberg said.
Mr Ortberg told employees the company must readdress workforce levels after a strike by about 30,000 US West Coast workers shut down production of its 737 MAX, 767 and 777 jets.
“We reset our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and to a more focused set of priorities,” Mr Ortberg said. "Over the coming months, we are planning to reduce the size of our total workforce by roughly 10 per cent. These reductions will include executives, managers and employees."
He said Boeing has notified customers that the company now expects first delivery of its 777X in 2026 due to challenges in development, as well as from the flight-test pause and continuing protest action by striking workers.
Even before the strike began on September 13, the company had been burning cash as it struggled to recover from a January mid-air panel blowout on a new plane that exposed weak safety protocols and spurred US regulators to curb its production. Reuters reported this week that Boeing is examining options to raise billions of dollars through a sale of stock and equity-like securities.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
