Thousands Set to Lose Jobs as Qatar Airways moves to Cut Costs

Qatar Airways has initiated a Cost Transformation initiative with hopes of laying the ground for sustainable growth in profit growth.

In a letter to the airline’s employees on Feb 23th, CEO Akbar Al Baker said “the aim of the transformation is to make Qatar Airways ‘fit for the future’ by simplifying business and distance ourselves from legacy ways of working; we have created many roadblocks that prevent us from adding value to your business and our customers. The transformation could result in the slashing of the workforce.”

The CEO did not comment on the number of job headcount likely to be laid off but reiterated that the resources of payments being free will go back to the investment of the airline.

The airline has 45,000 employees on its payroll and has been dominating the global aviation industry for so many years.

Coronavirus has hit the aviation industry badly with an estimated loss of almost $30 billion. The airline has not been fortunate on this as it has been hurt by a low number of customers due to the virus and also the restrictions imposed by nearby countries like UAE and Saudi Arabia. Even with restrictions in place from nearby countries, it has not stopped the airline from broadening its networks.