MANILA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Airlines (PAL) is going to let go of 2,300 employees in mid-March, as part of its recovery initiative amid losses due to the pandemic, the company announced on Tuesday.

The airline said the affected employees represent about 30 percent of its workforce and that the total includes voluntary separations and involuntary retrenchment.

"This has been an extremely difficult and painful decision. For our colleagues who are leaving, rest assured that we are committed to supporting you through this transition," PAL president Gilbert Santa Maria said in a statement.

Before the retrenchment, PAL implemented temporary furloughs and flexible working arrangements to hold off job cuts as long as possible.

The airline said the move is part of PAL's recovery plan to survive the pandemic, which severely hit the global airline industry.

"While demand for air travel slowly returns, the airline states that it is still far from pre-pandemic levels," PAL said.

The airline vowed to help the affected employees with job placement.

The airline first announced the retrenchment program in October last year.

The airline said its current operations will continue despite the job-cutting. Enditem

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