Singapore airlines to release 76 pilots due to excess labour force

Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Wednesday that it decided to cut 76 pilots on fixed-term contracts by the end of June, when their contracts will have not expired, aiming at reducing excess labour force amid business slowdown. The company said in the announcement handed to Singapore Exchange that the airline promises to help these pilots to pursue employment opportunities within the SIA group and with other airlines. "Singapore Airlines currently has a surplus of pilots to its operational requirements, as the global financial crisis of 2009- 10 had resulted in excess capacity and slower than expected growth, " the SIA said in a statement. During the first half of Financial Year 2012-13 which ended at the end of last September, the SIA group registered a net profit of 168 million Singapore dollars (136 million U.S. dollars), down 30 percent over the previous period. The airline also said they had implemented some measures to address the labour force surplus before, such as voluntary no pay leave and the suspension of cadet pilot recruitment. According to local paper Lianhe Zaobao, the SIA has totally 2, 300 pilots, while the pilots employed on fixed-term contracts accounts for 4 percent of the whole workforce.