Turkish Airlines has extended the cancellation of its flights from April 17 to May 1 over the coronavirus outbreak, its CEO Bilal Eksi said on Wednesday, adding that limited domestic flights would continue.

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, commercial flights have all but stopped. The situation is so dire that the head of the trade group representing the world's airlines called the last few months "its deepest crisis ever."

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was considering a plan to halt domestic flights to coronavirus hot spots inside the United States as the country struggles to contain a pandemic projected to kill at least 100,000 people.

The U.S. Treasury Department has hired Wall Street bankers and lawyers to advise on providing tens of billions of dollars in aid to the airline, cargo and defense sectors, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

South Korean budget airline Eastar Jet plans to cut about 700 out of some 1,600 jobs due to operational difficulties from the coronavirus outbreak, the carrier's spokesman said on Thursday.

IAG-owned British Airways is expected to announce a suspension of about 36,000 of its employees, BBC News reported on Wednesday.

Paris Orly airport, France's biggest airport for domestic flights, will shut down starting from Tuesday midnight until further notice as air traffic dwindles amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) Monday announced that it will sell fewer tickets to ensure social distancing to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

As the coronavirus is spreading in United States and most Chinese cities have reported no more new cases, some Chinese parents are paying tens of thousands of dollars for private jets to get their children out of the US and back to China because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) published new analysis showing that airlines may burn through US$61 billion of their cash reserves during the second quarter ending 30 June 2020, while posting a quarterly net loss of US$39 billion.