Singapore Airlines Group has lost 6,000 of its 27,000 staff, at least for now, as they have agreed to take unpaid leave of varying lengths, a spokesman at the company has told the Straits Times.
More than 1,700 employees including pilots and cabin crew have signed up for either paid or volunteer jobs, both outside and within the Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, and Scoot organisations, the spokesman added.
The company has been arranging temporary and secondary job placements for its staff, which “include ambassador roles and opportunities at public transport stations, social service offices and hospitals, for example. Many of our crew have also volunteered with various roles within the company.”
Staff can apply for the roles, and also for financial, mental, and physical wellness programmes, via the group's employee support portal.
Other pilots and cabin crew have been retained on their basic pay only, which averages around SGD1,500 Singapore dollars (USD1,090) for a flight attendant. The group is currently operating at 7% of its typical scheduled capacity, and many cabin crew have not taken to the air in months.
On July 29, Singapore Airlines Group posted a SGD1.12 billion (USD817 million) net loss for the first quarter of its financial year, ending June 30, its biggest quarterly loss on record. Group revenues slumped by 79%. Support measures, including raising SGD11 billion (USD8 billion) so far this financial year, will likely not avoid eventual job cuts, industry experts told the Straits Times.
