Etihad Airways said Wednesday it is asking some staff to bring forward their leave from later this year to April amid a reduction in operations due to the impact of coronavirus. An Etihad spokesperson said that the carrier “has asked cabin crew members to consider bringing forward paid leave from later this year to April, due to changed demand caused by the Covid-19 virus.” “Global restrictions on travel and re-timing of events have caused many passengers to change their travel arrangements, and the airline is among many realigning resources to accommodate these changes,” Etihad said. Dubai’s Emirates already announced a similar step, saying Tuesday it has told employees to utilise their leave plans or take voluntary unpaid leave for up to one month at time. It also has had to amend its operating schedule by either reducing frequencies or cancelling flights to certain destinations, due to the virus outbreak. Etihad stressed that it “has not asked staff to take unpaid leave.”<br/>