(Add Emirates Airline)
By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Alexander Cornwell
DUBAI, 25 August (Reuters) – Middle Eastern airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways asked the cabin team to take unpaid leave while registering to manage the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to internal memorandums and resources close to the matter.
Aviation was one of the industries most affected by the pandemic and Emirates and Etihad of the United Arab Emirates eliminated thousands of jobs, Resources said.
In an internal memorandum, the Emirates team is requested to take unpaid leave of one to three months from 1 September to 30 November due to the expected staffing requirements.
Emirates also fired team members last week, two appeals said, proceeding to a layoff procedure that began in July.
Emirates, which in July asked the drivers and the team to take 4 months of unpaid leave, did not respond to a request for comment emailed.
An internal memorandum from Etihad reported that the airline had more equipment than the mandatory one and that many were not registered on flights, which is not feasible for the company.
The team can take between 10 days and six months of unpaid leave from September 16, the email said.
Etihad, who in March asked the team to be absent without pay, did not respond to a request for comment emailed.
Emirates and Etihad have been gradually resuming passengers since June after failing flights in March. Etihad reported a base operating loss of $758 million in the first part of the year. The first part of Emirates ends on September 30 (Reporting through Aziz El Yaakoubi and Alexander Cornwell edited through David Goodman)
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