“I understand part of it is because people have no other choice. but it was a commitment from the people that they wanted to stick with the airline and we stuck with them,” he said.
In its 2020 annual earnings report, flydubai said 1,092 of its 3,796 workers went on unpaid or voluntary leave. The airline s workforce shrank by 3.2 per cent last year, compared with the previous year, it said.
The state-owned airline worked with regulatory authorities and partners to support staff on unpaid leave, said Mr Al Ghaith.
It teamed up with banks to provide relief such as loan repayment holidays to its affected employees.