DOHA: Qatar Airways is planning to reduce its staff strength by cutting a number of jobs as travel industry has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to an internal memo issued by the company said.

“We have to face a new reality, where many borders are closed, rendering many of our destinations closed and aircraft grounded as a result, with no foreseeable outlook for immediate, positive change” Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in the notice to the staff.

“The truth is, we simply cannot sustain the current numbers and we need to make a substantial number of jobs redundant – inclusive of Cabin Crew,” he said.

The memo did not reveal the details of the job cuts. Qatar Airways Group has more than 45,000 employees working across the globe