Dubai-based airline Emirates is suspending all passenger traffic from March 25.
”"As a global airline, we are in a position where we are unable to operate operational passenger services until countries open their borders and travelers feel safe again," said Chairman of the Board Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum in a statement on the airline's website.
State-owned Emirates, which will continue to fly cargo, is also presenting a series of measures to reduce costs during the crisis. Among other things, employees are being asked to take vacation or request leave.
The airline is not planning any layoffs, but all employees will have their salaries reduced by 25–50 percent over a three-month period.
Even before Sunday's announcement, a large part of Emirates' passenger traffic had ceased, according to the Reuters news agency.
The United Arab Emirates' civil aviation authority had ordered a suspension of flights to several destinations, including all Chinese cities, and traffic to 109 of the company's total of 159 destinations had closed due to the travel restrictions imposed worldwide to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Emirates has not given a date for when passenger services will resume.
”We continue to monitor the situation closely and will resume operations as soon as possible,” said Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
Source: TT
