THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport announced Friday that it will cut hundreds of jobs as it warned that air traffic likely will not return to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels until 2023-25.
The busy aviation hub slumped to a net loss of 246 million euros ($293 million) in the first half of the year, compared to a profit of 133 million in the same period last year, before sweeping travel restrictions and other measures to contain the spread of the virus hammered the global travel industry.
Passenger numbers at Schiphol fell 62.1 percent, to 13.1 million, while cargo volumes were down 14.5 percent compared to the first half of 2019.
The airport said in a statement it will cut “several hundred” jobs from its total workforce of around 3,000 to reduce costs.
Schiphol called in its statement for better international cooperation on measures to make air travel safe in the COVID-19 era.
“The international response is currently insufficiently aligned and coordinated. This impacts air travel, and therefore economic recovery,” the airport said.
“Schiphol is in favor of a system of testing for travel to and from countries with an orange or red risk profile,” the airport said. “This can reduce the need for travel bans and quarantine measures.”
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport cuts hundreds of jobs
https://arab.news/mcred
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport cuts hundreds of jobs
- The busy aviation hub slumped to a net loss of 246 million euros ($293 million) in the first half of the year
- The airport said in a statement it will cut “several hundred” jobs from its total workforce of around 3,000 to reduce costs
Lebanese social entrepreneur Omar Itani recognized by Schwab Foundation
- FabricAID co-founder among 21 global recipients recognized for social innovation
DAVOS: Lebanon’s Omar Itani is one of 21 recipients of the Social Entrepreneurs and Innovators of the Year Award by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
Itani is the co-founder of social enterprise FabricAID, which aims to “eradicate symptoms of poverty” by collecting and sanitizing secondhand clothing before placing items in stores in “extremely marginalized areas,” he told Arab News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
With prices ranging from $0.25 to $4, the goal is for people to have a “dignified shopping experience” at affordable prices, he added.
FabricAID operates a network of clothing collection bins across key locations in Lebanon and Jordan, allowing people to donate pre-loved items. The garments are cleaned and sorted before being sold through the organization’s stores, while items that cannot be resold due to damage or heavy wear are repurposed for other uses, including corporate merchandise.
Since its launch, FabricAID has sold more than 1 million items, reached 200,000 beneficiaries and is preparing to expand into the Egyptian market.
Amid uncertainty in the Middle East, Itani advised young entrepreneurs to reframe challenges as opportunities.
“In Lebanon and the Arab world, we complain a lot,” he said. Understandably so, as “there are a lot of issues” in the region, resulting in people feeling frustrated and wanting to move away. But, he added, “a good portion of the challenges” facing the Middle East are “great economic and commercial opportunities.”
Over the past year, social innovators raised a combined $970 million in funding and secured a further $89 million in non-cash contributions, according to the Schwab Foundation’s recent report, “Built to Last: Social Innovation in Transition.”
This is particularly significant in an environment of geopolitical uncertainty and at a time when 82 percent report being affected by shrinking resources, triggering delays in program rollout (70 percent) and disruptions to scaling plans (72 percent).
Francois Bonnici, director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Executive Committee, said: “The next decade must move the models of social innovation decisively from the margins to the mainstream, transforming not only markets but mindsets.”
Award recipients take part in a structured three-year engagement with the Schwab Foundation, after which they join its global network as lifelong members. The program connects social entrepreneurs with international peers, collaborative initiatives, and capacity-building support aimed at strengthening and scaling their work.
