China Southern Airlines recently organizes charter flights to help migrant workers get back to their jobs, especially those in difficulty finding transportation, as the epidemic control shows signs of progress and the country attempts to reopen for business.

On March 18, Airports Council International (ACI) World Director General Angela Gittens published a statement entitled Economic Policy Responses to the Global Health Crisis. She noted that the global aviation industry is heavily impacted by COVID-19 pandemic and that airports "have significant costs to bear, debts and other obligations to fulfill, and services to deliver even during a time of crisis", with the losses of the airport industry expected to reach at least US$20 and US$25 billion in 2020. She indicated that "the financial shortfall will be significant and unlike anything we have ever seen for businesses involved in the aviation ecosystem...Many businesses, large and small and involved in airport businesses or not, could go bankrupt."

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released information on its website on March 21, welcoming the flexibility favored to airlines and flight crew by Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and other aviation regulators during the COVID-19 crisis.

On March 23, the ICAO Council urged at its Montreal headquarters States, international organizations and financial institutions to consider the critical importance of civil aviation to the recovery of the worldwide economy after COVID-19 pandemic.

Aer Lingus is to fly five of its largest aircrafts packed with health supplies from China in a daily coronavirus mercy mission for Ireland.

When Emirates, the world's largest airline by international traffic, announced on Mar 30 that it will halt all passenger flights by March 25, US leading planemaker Boeing decided to temporarily shut its assembly lines in the state of Washington. The actions by the two giants are enough to prove the enormity of shock from the coronavirus pandemic, which is virtually crawling into every corner of the global aviation industry.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) updated its analysis of the revenue impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global air transport industry. Owing to the severity of travel restrictions and the expected global recession, IATA now estimates that industry passenger revenues could plummet $252 billion or 44% below 2019's figure. This is in a scenario in which severe travel restrictions last for up to three months, followed by a gradual economic recovery later this year.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the support of those governments around the world that have provided financial relief to airlines and urged other governments to follow suit before more damage is done.

> Break slot rules to open more slots for freight.