Latest job cuts were a ‘last alternative’ for Sharjah-based airline Air Arabia’s profit fell by 45 percent in the first quarter DUBAI: Air Arabia, the only listed carrier in the United Arab Emirates, has made further job cuts due to the business impact of COVID-19, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The Sharjah-based airline, which has about 2,000 employees, did not say how many employees had been affected. It laid off 57 employees in May. The latest job cuts were a “last alternative” after the airline took a series of steps in past months to protect jobs, the spokesman said, without elaborating. Air Arabia, like other airlines in the UAE, has operated few, limited services since grounding passenger flights in March. It is not clear when normal operations will resume. Air Arabia’s profit fell by 45 percent in the first quarter, which the airline blamed on the coronavirus pandemic which has crushed global travel demand. Air Arabia also operates out of UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah emirate and has bases in Egypt and Morocco.