Emirates to Lay Off Kenyan Workers in Restructuring Plan

An unknown number of Kenyans working for Dubai-based airline, Emirates are among hundreds of employees who are set to lose their jobs.

The State-owned flag carrier announced it will be laying off workers in a restructuring plan precipitated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business.

When contacted by Business Daily, Emirates declined to disclose the number of Kenyan employees who are set to be discharged and only explained the reason behind the redundancy.

“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,” the airline quipped. 

As of March 2019, the airline had a workforce of more than 60,000 employees including 21,000 cabin crews, and 4,000 pilots.

The restructuring could see at least 600 and 700 cabin crew members sent packing, according to Arabian Business Magazine.

“This was a very difficult decision and not one that we took lightly,” Emirates added.

The airline said it will give the affected workers all possible support. “Where we are forced to make tough decisions we will treat people with fairness and respect.”

The airline has one of the largest fleet sizes in the world with 259 and flies to over 150 destinations around the world.