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MANILA, Feb.2 (Xinhua) – Philippine Airlines (PAL) will lay off 2,300 employees in mid-March as part of its recovery effort amid losses due to the pandemic, the company announced on Tuesday.
The airline said affected employees make up about 30 percent of its workforce and that the total includes voluntary layoffs and involuntary layoffs.
“This has been an extremely difficult and painful decision. For our departing colleagues, you can be assured that we are committed to supporting them during this transition,” PAL President Gilbert Santa Maria said in a statement.
Prior to the downsizing, PAL implemented temporary leave and flexible work arrangements to avoid job cuts for as long as possible.
The airline said the move is part of PAL’s recovery plan to survive the pandemic, which severely affected the global airline industry.
“While demand for air travel is slowly returning, the airline claims it is still far from pre-pandemic levels,” PAL said.
The airline promised to help affected employees with job placement.
The airline first announced the downsizing program in October last year.
The airline said its current operations will continue despite the job cuts. Final product
