Emirates plans to cut an unspecified number of jobs as the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on the Gulf carrier.

The Dubai-based airline said on 31 May that it has come to the conclusion that “we unfortunately have to say goodbye to a few of the wonderful people that worked for us”. All possible scenarios were reviewed before making this decision, it added.

“We are continuously reassessing the situation and will have to adapt to this transitional period. We do not view this lightly, and the company is doing everything possible to protect jobs wherever we can,” it says.

“Where we are forced to take tough decisions, we will treat people with fairness and respect. We will work with impacted employees to ensure they are looked after and taken care of with necessary means.”

Emirates does not detail how many staff will be affected by the cuts, but previous reports suggested as many as 30,000 employees could be laid off. Reuters in a 31 May report cited two company sources saying trainee pilots and cabin crew are among those being laid off.