New Delhi, June 9: In what could be one of the largest firings in the aviation sector, Emirates Airlines has reportedly removed 600 pilots including a few Indians from the job. Emirates Airlines has sacked 792 pilots so far. The premium airline started reducing its workforce on May 31 when it had sacked 180 pilots. The pilots sacked on June 9 were first officers who were under training for type-rating on the A380 and on probation. Emirates Updates Safety Measures: From Change in Uniforms to Distance Indicators, Here's How The Airlines Have Adapted Precautions Amid Coronavirus Outbreak.

"As previously communicated, we at Emirates have been doing everything possible to retain the talented people that make up our workforce for as long as we can. However, given the significant impact that the pandemic has had on our business, we simply cannot sustain excess resources and have to right-size our workforce in line with our reduced operations," a spokesperson of Emirates was quoted by MoneyControl as saying.

"After reviewing all scenarios and options, we deeply regret that we have to let some of our people go. This was a very difficult decision and not one that we took lightly. The company is doing everything possible to protect the workforce wherever we can. Where we are forced to take tough decisions we will treat people with fairness and respect. We will work with impacted employees to provide them with all possible support," he added.

The airline industry is among the worst-affected by the coronavirus pandemic and Emirates Airlines plans to retire a large part of its fleet to mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak and subsequent lockdown in many countries, MoneyControl reported. The airline had in May said that it will cut "a few" jobs in the face of the downturn over the coronavirus crisis, but did not specify the extent of the layoffs. IndiGo, Vistara, GoAir, AirAsia, SpiceJet Twitter Exchange on Staying Parked, Staying Safe is Best Example of Co-Branding!

"We reviewed all possible scenarios in order to sustain our business operations, but we have come to the conclusion that we unfortunately have to say goodbye to a few of the wonderful people that worked with us," the airline had said in a statement. The Dubai carrier, the largest in the Middle East, employs a workforce that is around 100,000-strong with a fleet of 270 wide-bodied aircraft.

Emirates had in March announced temporary cuts of between 25 percent and 50 percent in basic salaries for most employees after halting its operations. It said on May 10 that it would take at least 18 months for travel demand to return to "a semblance of normality", even after reporting bumper pre-pandemic profits.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2020 08:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).