Etihad Slumps To $1.7 Billion Loss Amid Coronavirus Crisis, Cuts Staff By A Third

Etihad Slumps To $1.7 Billion Loss Amid Coronavirus Crisis, Cuts Staff By A Third

Share to Linkedin An Etihad Boeing 787 jet flies over the circuit ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix at the ... [+] Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE on December 13, 2020. (Photo: Bryn Lennon / POOL / AFP) The scale of the challenge facing Etihad Airways has become even starker, after the Abu Dhabi-based airline, which once had pretensions to be a globe-spanning aviation giant, revealed a $1. 7 billion core operating loss for 2020. The airline cut its staff numbers by a third over the course of last year, amid a coronavirus pandemic which meant it had to ground most of its planes for most of the year. The airline employed 631 fewer pilots and almost 2, 500 fewer cabin crew in December than it had in February, before the virus struck the region with a vengeance. "Covid shook the very foundation of the aviation industry," said group chief executive Tony Douglas, announcing the results. Although the gloom has recently begun to lift from the industry, helped by the rapid development and rollout of vaccines, there is a long way to go. Etihad was still flying to 25% fewer destinations in December than at