Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific has asked its staff to take three weeks of unpaid leave, to help it address the impact of the current Coronavirus outbreak.
The airline has proposed a leave scheme for its 27,000 employees, operating in 79 destinations, following recent drops in demand due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Earlier this week, the carrier also announced plans to cut 30% of the capacity of flights in the next two months, including 90% of flights to mainland China.
Its unpaid leave scheme will not be mandatory, but is being actively encouraged, and is projected to run from 1 March until 30 June 2020.
A spokesperson from Cathay Pacific said: “In view of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, and also a significant drop in market demand, we just announced massive capacity cuts yesterday.
“Preserving cash is the key to protecting our business. We have already been taking multiple measures to achieve this. Today, we are appealing to all employees to participate in the special leave scheme, which will take effect from 1 March and last until 30 June. All employees will have the option to take three weeks of unpaid leave in this period.”