For the Emirates airline staff who received a bonus, the sky need not be the limit – The National

For the Emirates airline staff who received a bonus, the sky need not be the limit – The National

In April 2020, Emirates was processing approximately half a million refunds on flights. It was three years ago and the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had only just been officially deemed as such by global health authorities.

At the time, the airline group’s chief executive and chairman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, cited “a sudden and tremendous drop in demand for international air travel as countries closed their borders and imposed stringent travel restrictions”. According to Sheikh Ahmed, the company would “take aggressive cost management measures, and other necessary steps to safeguard our business, while planning for business resumption”.

While many organisations and businesses, both in the UAE and around the world, were also making similar decisions, it is the latter part of Sheikh Ahmed’s statement that is most instructive for us all today.