Kuwait Airways to lay off 1500 foreign employees

Kuwait Airways will lay off 1,500 foreign employees due to the impact on its business by the coronavirus pandemic, the state-owned airline said on Thursday.

The loss-making national carrier, which has a total of 6,925 employees, has struggled amid the regional and worldwide downturn in air travel.

“In dealing with the coronavirus crisis and its negative impact on commercial operations ... Kuwait Airways announces the termination of around 1,500 non-Kuwaiti employees (contracts)” the airline said on Twitter.

However, the airline did not disclose the departments where the lay-offs would take place.

The company stressed that this difficult decision comes due to the current situation the company is facing in particular and the global aviation sector in general, where the impact of the coronavirus on the aviation industry is expected to continue.


Due to lockdowns, Kuwait Airways, which has a fleet of 30 aircraft, has been grounded similar to almost all airlines in the Middle East, AFP reported.

In the past few weeks, private companies in Kuwait have laid off employees, but Kuwait Airways is said to be the first government agency to take such a decision.

The government will pay the airline’s losses but is yet to announce any special compensation.