Asiana Airlines accepting voluntary retirements, unpaid leave

Asiana Airlines is receiving applications for voluntary retirement and unpaid leave from its employees, as the airline focuses on cutting costs. The measures come two weeks after Kumho Asiana Group, the parent group of the country's second largest carrier, decided to sell the debt-ridden airline to avert a liquidity crisis. This could also be the start of large-scale restructuring at the company. According to Asiana officials, Wednesday, the airline has begun accepting voluntary resignations from senior employees. "On Tuesday night, Asiana announced it would receive applications for voluntary retirement from employees with over 15 years at the company. Workers eligible include office employees and those in the sales and airport service departments," an official said. In addition, the airline is encouraging employees to go on unpaid leave to help the company save costs. The leave targets office workers mainly, excluding personnel related directly to safety and aircraft operations, such as pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. Employees can take leave of between 15 days to three years. "We are expanding the application scope for unpaid leave, which we have already been carrying out in line with efforts to cut costs," the official said. The voluntary retirement and unpaid leave are part of measures announced by company CEO Han Chang-soo to regain market confidence and garner support from creditors. <br/>