Singapore Airlines slashes jobs

Singapore Airlines - once the gold standard in long-haul flying - is slashing 4,300 jobs in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than half of the job losses will be forced redundancies, TravelMole reported.

The airline said 1,900 positions will be cut through natural attrition, a recruitment freeze and voluntary departure schemes, leaving 2,400 staff facing redundancy in Singapore and overseas.

The losses will be delivered across the Singapore, Scoot and SilkAir brands as the carrier said it expects to operate under 50% of its capacity in 2020/21.

In a statement, Singapore said it was particularly vulnerable as, unlike some competitors, it does not have a domestic market.

"Domestic will be the first to see a recovery," the airline said. "In order to remain viable in this uncertain landscape, the group's airlines will operate a smaller fleet for a reduced network compared to their pre-Covid operations in the coming years." 

Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong described it as an "agonising" period for the company as it adapts to an "uncertain future".

"When the battle against Covid-19 began early this year, none of us could have predicted its devastating impact on the global aviation industry," he said. "From the outset, our priorities were to ensure our survival and save as many jobs as possible. Given that the road to recovery will be long and fraught with uncertainty, we have to unfortunately implement involuntary staff reduction measures.

"Having to let go of our valuable and dedicated people is the hardest and most agonising decision that I have had to make in my 30 years with SIA.

"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.

"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. We will conduct this process in a fair and respectful manner and do our best to ensure that they receive all the necessary support during this very trying time."