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Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker has sent out a memo to employees stating that “substantial” layoffs are needed as the airline grapples with the impact of COVID-19:

A spokesperson for Qatar Airways confirmed the authenticity of the memo and provided the following statement to InsideFlyer:

“The unparalleled impact on our industry has caused significant challenges for all airlines and we must act decisively to protect the future of our business. As a result, Qatar Airways can confirm that the airline will make a number of roles redundant due to the impact of COVID-19. Any job loss is regrettable and we will work closely with all affected employees to offer our full support during this difficult time.

We are extremely proud of the professionalism, dedication and loyalty of all members of the Qatar Airways family and thank them for their contribution in making the airline the global leader it is today. When circumstances improve, it is our intention to enable employees to rejoin whenever possible.”

80 destinations served by the end of June

Despite the current challenges, Qatar plans to fly to 80 destinations by the end of June:

Europe

Athens (ATH), Budapest (BUD), Moscow (DME), Istanbul (IST), Amsterdam (AMS), Stockholm (ARN), Barcelona (BCN), Brussels (BRU), Paris (CDG), Copenhagen (CPH), Dublin (DUB), Edinburgh (EDI), Rome (FCO), Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), Madrid (MAD), Manchester (MAN), Munich (MUC), Milan (MXP), Oslo (OSL), Berlin (TXL), Vienna (VIE), Zurich (ZRH)

Africa

Addis Ababa (ADD), Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB), Lagos (LOS), Nairobi (NBO), Tunis (TUN)

North America

Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Sao Paulo (GRU), Montreal (YUL)

Asia

Guangzhou (CAN), Hong Kong (HKG), Seoul (ICN), Tokyo (NRT), Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG), Bangkok (BKK), Jakarta (CGK), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Manila (MNL) ), Singapore (SIN), Ahmedabad (AMD), Amritsar (ATQ), Bangalore (BLR), Mumbai (BOM), Calicut (CCJ), Kolkata (CCU), Colombo (CMB), Kochi (COK), Dhaka (DAC) ), New Delhi (DEL), Goa (GOI), Hyderabad (HYD), Kathmandu (KTM), Chennai (MAA), Male (MLE), Trivandrum (TRV), Islamabad (ISB), Karachi (KHI), Lahore ( LHE), Melbourne (MEL), Perth (PER), Sydney (SYD)

Middle East

Amman (AMM), Beirut (BEY), Baghdad (BGW), Basra (BSR), Erbil (EBL), Tehran (IKA), Sulaymaniyah (ISU), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT), Mashad (MHD), Najaf (NJF), Sohar (OHS), Salalah (SLL), Shiraz (SYZ)

As of the end of May, Qatar aims to serve 52 destinations.