Singapore Airlines to cut 4,300 jobs amid pandemic

Singapore Airlines will be slashing 4,300 jobs or 20% of its total workforce as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This will be the highest in its history, the airline said last Thursday.

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In a report from Reuters, Singapore Airlines is expected to operate at below 50% of its normal capacity by March 31, 2021, in which it is currently operating at 8%. The airline has no domestic operations.

The airline also said that after taking into account a recruitment freeze, natural attrition and voluntary separation schemes, the potential number of employees affected would be reduced to around 2,400 in Singapore and overseas.

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The need to reduce fleet and capacity

Singapore Airlines said that in order to operate viably in the middle of all uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, they would need to operate utilizing a smaller fleet size, a lean work force, and a reduced network in the coming years.

They are also reviewing its Airbus A380 fleet. Out of its 19 superjumbos, 13 are parked in Changi and the remaining 6 are in storage at Alice Springs.

In a statement, Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong said, “the next few weeks will be some of the toughest in the history of the SIA Group as some of our friends and colleagues leave the company."

“This is not a reflection of the strengths and capabilities of those who will be affected, but the result of an unprecedented global crisis that has engulfed the airline industry,” he continued.