Emirates Airlines to suspend all passenger operations

Emirates Airlines has announced that it will be suspending all passenger operations from March 25 onwards due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The world’s biggest airline by international traffic made the decision to suspend following shifts to the global travel demand.

“By Wednesday 25 March, although we will still operate cargo flights which remain busy, Emirates will have temporarily suspended all its passenger operations,” Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a statement. “We continue to watch the situation closely, and as soon as things allow, we will reinstate our services.”

The airline will also be implementing the following measures to cut down on expenditure.

• A temporary reduction of basic salary for the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, ranging from 25% to 50%.
• Employees will continue to be paid their other allowances during this time. Junior level employees will be exempt from basic salary reduction.
• Emirates President Tim Clark and Dnata President Gary Chapman will take a 100% basic salary cut for three months.