Dubai-based airline Emirates has confirmed it will begin laying off staff as part of a plan to survive the financial toll of the coronavirus crisis, but it has not said how many employees would be impacted.

In a statement on Sunday, the carrier said a review of its business operations revealed it would need to make redundancies. ¡°We unfortunately have to say goodbye to a few of the wonderful people that worked with us. Where we are forced to take tough decisions, we will treat people with fairness and respect,¡± the statement read.

According to the Financial Times, staff who were on probation received letters saying their employment would be terminated in June.

Emirates, which employs about 60,000 people, did not say how many staff would be made redundant. The airline is currently operating a limited number of flights after suspending most of its passenger operations in March, but president Sir Tim Clark has said he expects the recovery to take two years.

Fellow Gulf carrier Qatar Airways has also been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, announcing last month that it plans to reduce its staffing levels by about 20 per cent as a result.