Emirates is offering some pilots 12-month unpaid leave. Christopher Pike / Reuters
Emirates is offering some pilots 12-month unpaid leave. Christopher Pike / Reuters
Emirates is offering some pilots 12-month unpaid leave. Christopher Pike / Reuters
Emirates is offering some pilots 12-month unpaid leave. Christopher Pike / Reuters

Emirates offers some pilots unpaid leave amid Covid-19 headwinds


Fareed Rahman
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Emirates is offering some pilots an unpaid leave of 12 months, with the possibility of an early recall, as the aviation industry continues to face the pandemic-driven headwinds.

“We continue to do all we can to protect our talent pool for post-pandemic business recovery, but we also need to consider the impact of the current situation on our operations and cost base,” Emirates said in a statement on Thursday.

"Across the group, we are implementing various offers including unpaid leave and more flexible working time models."

The company will continue to to provide "accommodation, medical cover and other allowances" it said, without giving further details.

The aviation sector is among the worst hit sectors of the global economy, as the Covid-19 pandemic decimated air travel demand, forcing airlines severely cut back their operations and ground aircraft. Many cash-strapped airlines have either furloughed workers or cut jobs as part of cost cutting measures.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) last week said airlines need to cut more staff and reduce their cost base as travel demand remains muted in the wake of a resurgence of Covid-19 infections globally.

“The industry has to get smaller at least for the next 12 to 18 months given the much-reduced outlook for travel and revenue and there must be some way of doing that without completely draining airlines of their cash reserves,” Brian Pearce, Iata's chief economist, said during an online media briefing.

Emirates had already offered some staff the opportunity to take voluntary leave in March this year when movement restrictions were first imposed. In July, the carrier's president Tim Clark told the BBC the airline may cut up to 15 per cent of its workforce, or about 9,000 jobs, in response to the current crisis.

Many airlines including Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa have cut thousands of jobs in recent months or said they would reduce their work force.

Brief scores:

Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first

Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)

Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14

Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)

Perera 47; Sohail 2-18

ETFs explained

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There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

Stormy seas

Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.

We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice. 

CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID

1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)

3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)

4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)

5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)

6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)

7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)

8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)

9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)

10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)

RESULTS

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.

9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe