Emirates turns to Dubai to see it through crisis after Sh371.3 billion loss

State-owned Emirates said on Thursday that Dubai would help it through the coronavirus crisis after losses of USD3.4 billion (Sh371.3b) tipped the airline’s holding company into its first half-year loss in more than thirty years.

A general view of an Emirates Airlines' Boeing 777-300ER aircraft being modified to provide additional cargo capacity with seats removed from the economy class cabin, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in this undated picture obtained June 25, 2020. [Reuters]

Emirates said global travel restrictions meant revenue dropped by 75 per cent to USD3.2 billion as passenger traffic fell by 95 per cent to 1.5 million in the six months to the end of September.

“We have been able to tap on our own strong cash reserves, and through our shareholder and the broader financial community, we continue to ensure we have access to sufficient funding to sustain the business and see us through this challenging period,” Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said.

The Dubai government would support the airline on its recovery path, said Sheikh Ahmed, who is also a senior member of Dubai’s ruling family and holds senior positions in government.

Emirates temporarily suspended most of its flights at the height of the pandemic, which has decimated global travel.

The airline filled just 38.6 per cent per cent of the seats on offer, though saw high demand for freight due to limited availability of air cargo services globally due to the drop in passenger flights.

Emirates, which a year ago reported a USD235 million half-year profit, received USD2 billion in state assistance from the Dubai government between April and September this year, which the airline said was an equity investment.

The airline’s entire operation is dependent on international demand as it does not operate domestic flights.

Emirates Group, which includes the airline and other aviation and travel assets, saw revenue plunge 74 per cent to USD3.7 billion and made a loss of USD3.8 billion.

The last time Emirates airline reported a loss was for the financial year 1987-88, and that was primarily due to the costs of its start-up operations, a spokeswoman said.

The number of Group employees had reduced 24 per cent between April and September to 81,334, it said, without disclosing the number of airline staff.

Sources have told Reuters that thousands of airline employees, including pilots and flight attendants, have lost their jobs at Emirates this year.