One of the measures that the Turkish carrier Turkish Airlines intends to deal with the consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is an increase in ticket prices.
Turkish Airlines will not cut staff for the next two years, although the pandemic is ravaging global air travel, Ilker Aci, chairman of the company’s board of directors, said in an interview with Turkish media Haberturk, Bloomberg reports.
“We see 2020 and 2021 not as years of profitability, but as years to protect employment. Our job is to resist layoffs as much as we can afford, “Aichi said.
According to him, the revenues of global airlines as a whole are unlikely to recover to their levels from 2019 in the next few years. However, no company can fully protect its workforce when there is a drop in sales, so “we will all have to make sacrifices,” Aichi said.
Air travel bans and the prospect of reducing the number of passengers on board due to social distance measures still in place to control the spread of Covid-19 pose a significant threat to airlines’ revenues. The number of passengers carried by Turkish Airlines in March fell by 53% on an annual basis, according to the latest data.
To deal with the situation during this period, Turkish Airlines is considering new sources of finance, including the sale of old aircraft, Aichi revealed. The priority is for the national carrier to solve its own financing challenges, added the president of the Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines is also considering reducing the number of its offices abroad, as well as local branches in some areas of the country, and presence of experts on board to monitor compliance with hygiene measures. According to the chairman of the airline board, the application of measures for social distancing during flights is not realistic.