Hong Kong Airlines has asked cabin crew to agree to two months of unpaid leave, following a request by the company for its pilots to take a 60% cut in salary, Apple Daily reported.

The locally based carrier has been operating fewer than 10 aircraft out of its 32-strong fleet as the coronavirus pandemic has battered the air-travel industry, according to an internal memo that was sent to cabin crew recently.

Crew were asked to take it in turns to take the two months leave from November to the end of February next year, meaning the team will operate at half capacity.

The reduced pay and lower allowances will amount to 30% of their original compensation packages. The measure, following an earlier move to cut salaries for pilots and first officers in the form of no-pay leave, was meant to avoid further layoffs, the notice reportedly said, adding that the industry is “far from recovering.”

The carrier had already been struggling financially before the coronavirus outbreak with the authorities once threatening to take back its operating license. In February, the company announced it was axing 400 staff as part of a restructuring plan.

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