Half of Russia's flight dispatchers have been put on forced leave as Western sanctions batter the country's travel industry, a labor union official says.
Sergei Kovalyov, the president of Russia's Federal Trade Union of Air Traffic Controllers, made the statement in a complaint sent to the Prosecutor-General's Office earlier this week, Russian media reported.
Russia has about 30,000 flight dispatchers, suggesting 15,000 have been put on leave.
Russia's aviation industry -- highly dependent on Western technology and Western routes -- has been among the hardest hit by sweeping sanctions triggered by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The United States and its allies have banned the sale of planes and plane parts to Russia, while the EU has banned Russia from using its airspace.
Russia has a tradition of cutting hours rather than firing employees to reduce labor costs during an economic crisis.
Forced leave can last from days to months, with workers receiving two-thirds of their base salary, according to Russian law.
About 135,000 Russian workers were on forced leave, Labor Minister Anton Kotyakov said in June.
Many of them are from Russia’s auto industry, which had come to nearly a standstill in May due to sanctions.