Emirates and Etihad Airways have again asked cabin crew to take voluntary unpaid leave as they try to emerge from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We can confirm that we had offered cabin crew the opportunity to apply for voluntary unpaid leave,” an Emirates spokeswoman told Gulf News. "We will not be providing figures on employee take-up [rates]." Emirates crew were told they can take unpaid leave for between one and three months from September 1 to November 30 owing to expected staffing requirements. As for Etihad, staff were told that the airline has more crew than needed and that some are not being rostered on flights, which is not sustainable for the business. Etihad was not immediately available for a comment. UAE's airlines had suspended flights from March after the closure of international borders. <br/>