by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Mon December 19, 2016
On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates' second-largest airline Etihad Airways announced it would be laying off an unspecified number of employees due to tough competition from other airlines.
According to The Associated Press, Etihad Airways is owned by Abu Dhabi and is the national airline of the country, but the airline claims "an increasingly competitive landscape" has forced the company to institute "a measured reduction of headcount in some parts of the business."
Despite Etihad Airways spokesman Updesh Kapur not expanding on details about the layoffs or how many employees would be impacted, a statement from the airline claims the job cuts would be conducted "in a fair, structured and transparent way."
In a report from Reuters.com, Etihad Airways officials said layoffs would result in a restructuring in different parts of the company meant to reduce costs, improve productivity and revenue.
Last week, Etihad Airways reached a code-share agreement Germany's biggest airline Lufthansa, adding it to the list of 50 airlines the Abu Dhabi-based company already has reached agreements with over the last several years.
Etihad Airways also holds stakes in Air Berlin, Air Seychelles, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Alitalia and Virgin Australia, and the company boasts a fleet of around 120 planes.
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