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Qatar Airways has announced that it will lay off nearly 20 percent of its workforce after a drop in demand for travel due to the Corona epidemic.
“Unfortunately, we will have to lay off about 20 percent of our workforce, equivalent to the number of planes that will not take off on flights three years ago. The decision is very difficult but we had no alternative,” CEO Akbar Al-Baker told the BBC.
This is the first time that Qatar Airways has determined the number of workers it intends to lay off. The state-owned company, and one of the largest airlines in the Middle East, announced on May 5 that it was considering cutting “a large number of jobs.”
The company employs 46,684 employees worldwide, according to its latest financial report issued in March 2019. Accordingly, it is in the process of laying off nearly 9,000 employees.
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Al-Baker had said in March that the company was draining its liquidity and could end up seeking government aid.
Qatar Airways is buying shares in many airlines around the world, hoping to attract the largest number of passengers to its aircraft.
Al-Baker had previously told Reuters news agency that the company was gradually rebuilding its network, but a full recovery could take about four years, saying: “I will be very surprised if something happens before 2023 or 2024.”
Al-Baker added that many business travelers may never return after getting used to working remotely, as well as closing many companies thanks to the epidemic.
Al-Bakir warned that the fourteen-day quarantine process that some countries plan to impose on air travelers may cripple the industry.
Al-Baker told the BBC that this quarantine operation “will destroy the industry and eliminate the viability of the ports, and I do not think it will solve the problem. You can look at what is happening in South Korea and other countries, even in Germany. The infection reappears. The only solution is treatment and serum.”
The global civil aviation movement is witnessing a significant decline in demand in light of the restrictions imposed on travel and fears of travelers from infection with corona.
Governments around the world warn their citizens of any unnecessary movements or movements. Countries such as those in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and others, have also announced closing their borders to foreign visitors. With the increasing number of places closed to visits, many tourists were forced to cancel their holidays, while others were stranded outside their countries.
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