Coronavirus: Emirates launches counter measures to lessen impact

Emirates has seen “some slowdown in certain markets” as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus. The Dubai-based airline said it has had to amend its operating schedule by either reducing frequencies or cancelling flights to specific destinations. Emirates had “fully activated” its Crisis Management Centre in January to “closely monitor the situation and take decisive action across all areas of our business.” These measures have included adjusting the operational schedule, amending capacity to meet passenger demand across different markets, providing medical advice to staff, and implementing necessary measures at the airport. “The knock-on effect of these operational changes has resulted in more resources than required in certain areas of the business for our day-to-day requirements,” a statement read. “Considering the availability of additional resources and the fact that many employees want to utilize their leave, we have provided our employees the option to avail leave or apply for voluntary unpaid leave for up to one month at a time.” Emirates said it has stepped up its aircraft cleaning measures. Emirates added that that while demand has slowed down in some countries, “there has been high demand in other areas”. <br/>