Asiana Extends Unpaid Leave for All Employees Until the 15th... Flight Attendants Also Granted 2 Months Paid Leave (Update)

From May, all employees granted 15 days unpaid leave extension monthly and on-site staff eligible for 2 months paid leave application
Full effort to secure charter flights for local transport of Korean company engineers

Ahead of the Year of the White Rat in 2020, cargo made in Korea, destined to spread worldwide, is being loaded onto an Asiana Airlines cargo plane at Incheon International Airport Cargo Terminal, with the rising sun in the background. Despite prolonged US-China trade conflicts and Japan's export restrictions, which have led to domestic and international economic downturn forecasts, there is hope that made in Korea products will expand across the globe in the new year.
Yeongjongdo ? Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Asiana Airlines announced on the 19th that it will extend the 'unpaid leave of 15 days or more for all employees' implemented earlier this month as a self-rescue measure to overcome the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

Accordingly, from May, all employees will take at least 15 days of unpaid leave every month until business volume returns to normal. In addition, paid leave applications in two-month units will be accepted from May onwards for cabin crew and domestic airport branch employees.

To recover sales, Asiana Airlines has been increasing passenger charter flights since March. Through this, it is transporting businesspeople stranded in Korea to overseas sites. On the 17th and 18th, special charter flights operated on the Incheon?Vientiane route to transport engineers belonging to Samsung Display. In March, special charter flights were operated three times to transport engineers from Samsung Display and LG Display to Vietnam. On the 19th of last month, through an emergency transport operation with the government, a special flight transported 80 Iranian nationals residing abroad back to Korea.

An Asiana Airlines official stated, "We will continue to operate special charter flights for the transportation of personnel for domestic companies, serving as a bridge for economic exchange and achieving sales recovery effects."

To meet the increased international cargo demand caused by the reduction in passenger flights, Asiana Airlines is operating 'belly cargo' services by utilizing passenger aircraft cargo holds, flying 150 round-trip flights on 16 routes to China, Southeast Asia, the Americas, and Europe in March and April to improve performance. In addition, as the number of aircraft grounded at airports due to COVID-19 has increased, about 16.7% of maintenance work has been advanced and performed early to prepare for safety assurance and business recovery after the end of COVID-19.