The low-cost airline company, AirAsia had reduced more than 10% of its 24,000 staff. It was reported that the airline had retrenched 2,400 of its staff since Malaysia’s international borders closed in March 2020. It involved cabin crew and pilots. However, the airline company aims to rehire all AirAsia staff who were let go when the time comes.
AirAsia founder and chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said his top priority for 2021 is to rehire all of AirAsia staff as it enters the new year and faces a post-Covid-19 recovery period.
“The first priority is no more job losses. The second priority is to rehire all AirAsia staff who were let go.”
Speaking to the New Straits Times Press, Tony Fernandes said he was asked by TV3 on what are his priorities. He then emphasised his first priority is no more job losses. Second priority is to rehire all AirAsia staff who were let go during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
“They did nothing wrong. They’re great staff and they’ve been very good people to AirAsia. It’s just a crazy time. But that is my number one and two principles,” he said.
Some of its former cabin crews are retraining to be data scientists, data engineers and other things

He even shared positive news where the group had retrained 500 of its staff, reskilled, and relocated them to different jobs within the group.
This initiative included programmes under AirAsia Digital’s RedBeat Academy – a collaboration with Google.
Some of its former staff are retraining to be data scientists, data engineers and other things. About 500 of its former staff have been re-allocated to other jobs by which many of them are still undergoing retraining.
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