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Coronavirus: Emirates to axe 9,000 jobs

Credit: Getty.
Photo: Getty

Airline carrier Emirates is to cut up to 9,000 jobs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Company president Sir Tim Clark said the Middle Eastern airline which has already cut a tenth of staff, will be letting "up to 15%" of the workforce go.

At least 700 of the airline's 4,500 pilots were given redundancy notices this week, according to a report by BBC News.

Last month the Dubai-based aircraft carrier sent an internal memo to employees announcing it would be extending a three month wage cut until September 30.

The state-owned airline had previously reduced basic wages by 25% to 50% with the exception of junior employees.

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The disclosure by the world's biggest long-haul carrier is the first time the company has confirmed how many jobs will be lost.

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Emirates had 60,000 staff.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Regulator tells package holiday firms to refund customers

But the grounding of flights and continued uncertainty around international travel have devastated the aviation industry.

The Emirates cuts have focused on pilots and crew of Airbus planes, rather than Boeing aircraft which hold fewer passengers and are easier to fill.

The International Air Transport Association forecasts the world's airlines will lose more than £66bn ($84bn) and one million jobs this year.

Some 36,000 jobs are under threat at United Airlines (UAL) due to the huge drop in demand and the sector expects to see the culling of up to 200,000 staff across the US.

UK carrier Easyjet (EZJ.L) announced in May that it intends to reduce its workforce by up to 30% as it cuts the size of its fleet due to the pandemic.

This follows similar moves being made by other UK airlines such as British Airways and Ryanair (RYA.L).

EasyJet has around 15,000 full-time employees – including 8,000 based in the UK – meaning a maximum of 4,500 jobs are at risk.