Coronavirus: Emirates airline asks pilots,cabin crew to take unpaid leave
March 18, 2020, 4:24 pm

Coronavirus: Emirates airline asks pilots,cabin crew to take unpaid leave

A file photo of Dubai-based Emirates airline. (AP)

Dubai’s Emirates airline, one of the world’s biggest international airlines, is asking pilots and cabin crew to take unpaid leave, according to internal staff emails seen by Reuters, as the coronavirus outbreak hammers demand for travel. Emirates airline

“You are strongly encouraged to make use of this opportunity to volunteer for additional paid and unpaid leave,” an email to pilots said.

There is limited opportunity for unpaid leave for cabin crew who are being encouraged to take paid leave, another email said.

The airline did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tourism and aviation are vital to the economy of Dubai, which does not have the vast oil wealth of some of its Gulf neighbours.

Emirates employed over 21,000 cabin crew and 4,000 pilots among more than 100,000 employees overall at the end of March 2019.

Emirates has told staff the coronavirus epidemic could be the biggest challenge it has faced in many years, frozen recruitment and continues to cut flights as the situation worsens globally.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday said it would bar entry to foreigners apart from diplomats and residents.

Rival Qatar Airways laid off around 200 employees, all Filipino nationals based in Qatar, this week amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Philippine Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello told Reuters on Wednesday that the government was trying to ascertain the “real cause” behind the Qatar Airways’ unexpected decision to lay off the Filipino workers.

Qatar Airways, which employed 46,000 people at the end of March 2019, declined to comment. Emirates airline

The layoffs were reported earlier by ABS-CBN. It said the Filipino employees, including engineers and maintenance staff, were laid off on Tuesday and others had also lost their jobs.

State-owned Qatar Airways had warned it would report its third consecutive loss this financial year, which ends this month, before the outbreak battered global travel demand.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways came under fire on Friday for doubting the existence of the deadly coronavirus, an outbreak that the World Health Organization has labeled as a global pandemic.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, another Gulf carrier, announced more flight cancellations on Wednesday, including to Egypt and India. levant

source: Reuters levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”