El Al Israel Airlines said on Wednesday it was extending the suspension of all scheduled passenger flights until May 2 due to a drop in demand in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Swedish airline BRA said on Wednesday it was pausing all traffic as demand had ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Iceland will pay carrier Icelandair up to 100 million krona (US$717,000) to keep some flights to and from Iceland open for three weeks, Icelandic daily Morgunbladid reported on Monday.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday the government was expanding a ban on the entry of non-Japanese people to cover 73 countries as policymakers try to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

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.