Dubai's Emirates to reinstate some employee allowances dropped after COVID-19 hit

Dubai: Emirates airline will reinstate some employee allowances and perks removed last year when the pandemic brought air travel to a halt. Dubai’s flagship carrier will bring back the accommodation allowance for married couples and also increase annual leave entitlement to largely reverse the cuts made in October 2020, it said in a letter addressed to employees.

Emirates will increase the “salary increment opportunity” on promotion for core grades and also introduce an option to nominate five friends who can receive concessional tickets in Economy. These changes will come into effect from October 1, said the letter.

A 'clear path'

“We have all felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in our personal lives, on our business and across our industry, which was hit particularly hard,” said Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group.

“In the last few weeks and months, and thanks largely to the global vaccination drive and the efforts of our leaders here in the UAE, we have seen an increasingly clear path to recovery opening up. Our iconic aircraft are reuniting people in more and more destinations around the world, and other airlines are once again landing at DXB”

“There is a distinct air of positivity and ‘getting back to normal’,” said Sheikh Ahmed.

Emirates Group recorded a loss of Dh22.1 billion for 2020-21 – its first one in more than three decades as COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the aviation industry. Redundancies were implemented across all divisions - the Group’s total workforce reduced by 31 per cent to 75,145 employees.