Singapore Airlines fires 4,300 employees due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Singapore Airlines informed on Thursday that the airlines were cutting as much as 4,300 jobs which make 20% of its workforce due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore Airlines informed on Thursday that the airlines were cutting as much as 4,300 jobs which make 20% of its workforce due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Singapore Airlines has become the latest airlines to announce massive layoffs due to travel restrictions.

The airline has reported a net loss of more than $800 million in the first quarter. The airline also stated that it will operate less than 50% of its normal flight schedule by the end of the 20-21 financial year.

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Singapore Airlines CEO GOH Choon Phong also reacted to the situation by stating that this was the toughest decision he had to make in his career. He said “The future remains extremely challenging. Given the expectation that the road to recovery will be long and fraught with uncertainty, it has come to the point where we have to make this painfully difficult decision to implement involuntary staff reduction measures.”

The cuts come despite the airline group raising a total of SG$11 billion in fresh funds to help it during the crises. The International Air Transport Association estimates that airlines operating in the Asia-Pacific region stands a total loss of $27.8 billion this year.