About 300 Emirates crew may accept leave offer

Dubai: Up to 300 cabin crew are expected to take advantage of the recent Emirates offer of voluntary unpaid leave to pursue personal interests.

The airline announced last week it has decided to offer its cabin staff "the opportunity to apply for unpaid leave on a purely voluntary basis, starting from May".

Emirates said its recruitment efforts over the past 12 months have been successful in meeting its staff requirements, and together with a sharp drop in people leaving the company to join other airlines it now finds itself "in a position to be more flexible as an employer".

Emirates spokesman Boutros Boutros said more than 200 slots may be available.

"It is going to be between 200 and 300. It is a small number," he told Gulf News on Monday.

The number represents about two per cent of 12,000 cabin staff that the company employs. Emirates Group has about 40,000 staff.

An aviation analyst sees the Emirates leave offer as part of personnel management.

"Cabin crew planning can be difficult with attrition rates unpredictable, and maybe they have simply over-budgeted versus the reality," said John Strickland, a UK-based analyst.

Emirates, however, has said that it will continue to grow its international network. It is scheduled to receive 16 aircraft this year.