Nufam urged airlines to show greater appreciation for their employees, saying they had gone without bonuses or pay increments over the last few years.

“These employees also have personal obligations to deal with, including outstanding debts on home mortgages and personal loans. Most of these employees took one year unpaid leave (amid the Covid-19 pandemic),” it said in a statement.

The union said low-cost airlines based in other countries were giving their staff bonuses, which meant that local airlines had no excuse to not do so.

Nufam said airlines worldwide recorded a significant increase in profits following the pandemic and the reopening of borders globally.

The union warned that failure to provide bonuses might lead to employees feeling undervalued and seek employment with other airlines.

It also cited the rise in cost of living as a reason for airlines to pay bonuses.

It was reported last month that Singapore Airlines Ltd will pay its staff a bonus of about eight months’ wages after a record annual profit last year.

Low-cost airline Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also reportedly rewarded qualified staff with a 4.76 months bonus and an ex-gratia bonus of up to 1.5 months.