Next month, AirAsia Philippines is activating 432 workers - pilots, cabin crew, ground staff and engineering "placed under hibernation" at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the budget carrier announced Nov. 25, 2021.
The re-integration of these employees will enable AirAsia to meet growing market demand as travel restrictions ease in all of its destinations.
The "gradual activation" will initially cover 15 percent of the airline's hibernated workforce, mostly pilots and cabin crew, to undergo recurrent training starting this December.
The remaining 85 percent will be progressively integrated back into line during the first quarter of 2022, subject to market demand.
Meanwhile, rehiring of former staff who were retrenched during the onset of the pandemic might come earlier than expected.
“Projections based on current vaccination rates among Asean countries are speeding up," confirmed Air Asia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla.
"As soon as there is steady demand for air travel, and border restrictions are lifted in the international destinations where we fly, we can start the process of rehiring as early as April," he explained.
"We will definitely prioritize our former Allstars (workers) and will also provide opportunities for new hires, especially now that we are strengthening the offerings of the airasia Super App in the Philippines,” Isla added.
“To say that the past months have been extremely challenging is an understatement. But we are all survivors, thriving amidst all odds," he maintained.
"We assure our guests that during the reintegration, there will be no shortcuts, and we will continue to uphold the highest standards of safety in all of our training and procedures.”