China has witnessed a staggering freefall in the number of international flights after the aviation regulator rolled out orders cutting down flights in and out of the country to curtail the rising number of imported cases of the novel coronavirus.

Britain will spend 75 million pounds (US$93 million) to get stranded citizens home on charter flights, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Monday, adding that airlines would be flexible in offering commercial routes where possible.

American Airlines Holdings Inc intends to apply for up to US$12 billion in government aid, ensuring no involuntary layoffs or pay cuts in the next six months, executives said in a memo to employees on Monday.

Air New Zealand said on Tuesday nearly a third of its employees, about 3,500, will be laid off in the coming months, as it grapples with severe global travel curbs due to the coronavirus that has forced it to cancel nearly all flights.

Qatar Airways Cargo will resume scheduled belly-hold cargo operations to China soon with the utilisation of wide-body and passenger-configurated aircraft subject to government approvals.

Thai Airways International Pcl may permanently reduce the number of aircraft types it deploys once the coronavirus outbreak that has caused the company to ground most of its fleet ends, said a senior government official on Monday.

British low cost airline easyJet said it had grounded its entire fleet of over 330 aircraft and had no visibility on when it could restart flights, highlighting the heavy strain on airlines trying to survive to fly again after coronavirus.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Friday that taxpayers will "compensated" for providing up to US$25 billion in direct grants to the airline industry.

Saudi Arabian Airlines has agreed to operate exceptional commercial flights to allow British nationals and their families to return to the United Kingdom, according to a British embassy message sent by e-mail late on Friday.

Canada will not allow anyone displaying symptoms of the COVID-19 respiratory illness to board domestic flights or inter-city passenger trains, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday, the latest travel restriction aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak.