Emirates Airlines asks its pilots to take one-year unpaid leave

Emirates Airlines has offered some of its pilots a one-year leave without pay to reduce payroll costs in the face of the pandemic.

A company spokesperson explained that “we can confirm that we have offered some of our pilots a 12-month leave without pay, with the possibility of an early call-back based on the speed of demand recovery and our operational needs.” He added that Emirates will still continue to provide housing, health insurance and other benefits to those who opt for leave without pay.

Emirates Airlines has laid off thousands of employees since the start of the global health crisis and has made significant wage cuts.