ChinaAviationDaily will be updating regularly with latest news to help visitors stay up-to-date on how the COVID-19 is impacting the aviation industry.
Airlines:
3/10/2020 Qantas cuts almost a quarter of all flights and says its CEO will stop taking a salary
Qantas has announced sweeping cost-cutting measures in light of the worsening novel coronavirus crisis, including slashing almost a quarter of all flights for the next six months and significantly reducing executive pay.
3/13/2020 LOT Polish Airlines to suspend all flights as country closes borders
LOT Polish Airlines is temporarily suspending all of its flight operations, after Poland announced to close its borders and halt international travel amid the Coronavirus crisis.
3/13/2020 ANA, JAL expand flight cuts as coronavirus hits travel demand
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines said Friday they will cancel more domestic flights as travel demand is drying up in the wake of the global coronavirus outbreak.
3/14/2020 American Airlines reduce international capacity by 75% year over year -- from March 16 to May 6
American Airlines anticipates its domestic capacity in April will be reduced by 20% compared to last year and May's domestic capacity will be reduced by 30% on a year over year basis.
3/14/2020 Delta, American, United in White House talks to receive government support
Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines, the three largest U.S. airlines, are in talks with the U.S. government about potential assistance amid a dramatic drop-off in air travel demand due to the coronavirus outbreak, the carriers said on Friday.
3/15/2020
Air New Zealand cuts international flights by85%
The kiwi airline has suspended trading on the New Zealand Stock Exchange, will reduce capacity on domestic flights by 30% and international flights by 85%.
3/15/2020 Alitalia: Passengers are required to wear protective breathing masks on board.
Alitalia informs passengers that, before boarding, they will be required to have their own protective mask to be worn in case a large number of travelers on board would not allow to respect the 1-meter interpersonal safety distance.
3/15/2020 airBaltic Suspends All Flights Until Mid April
airBaltic will suspend all flights from March 17th until the middle of April, in a move to combat changing conditions resulting from the coronavirus, which will include international flights with passengers being contacted directly by the airline to rearra
3/15/2020 KLM to cut 2000 jobs & will suspend up to 40% of flights
KLM's CEO, Pieter Elbers, delivered the news that 1,500 to 2,000 jobs would be cut in light of the coronavirus situation and 30-40% of flights will be suspended as the airline fights to manage its costs and avoid financial ruin.
3/15/2020 Virgin Atlantic boss seeks 7.5 billion-pound UK airline bailout
Virgin Atlantic's chairman Peter Norris will write to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday saying the country's airline industry needs emergency government support worth 7.5 billion pounds or risks the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
3/15/2020 Delta reduces U.S.-Europe flying starting Monday; suspends JFK to Mumbai
Delta will significantly reduce its U.S. to Europe flying beginning Monday, March 16, following the U.S. government directive restricting travel between the U.S. and Europe.
3/15/2020 United Airlines pares London and Dublin flights as US travel ban widens United Airlines has nixed some flights to London and Dublin following the US government's expansion of its travel ban to include passengers arriving from the UK and Ireland.
3/15/2020 Emirates not suspending all flights amid coronavirus outbreak
In a statement issued on the site on Sunday, Emirates refuted the rumours that Emirates was suspend all flights on - adding that there was no truth to the rumours circulating on social media.
3/16/2020 SAS to halt most traffic, temporarily lay off 10000 staff
SAS said this would trigger temporary lay-offs of up to 10,000 employees, or 90% of the airline's total workforce.
Governments:
3/13/2020 Norway to temporarily shut its airports
Norway is to temporarily close its airports from 16 March as part of wide-ranging restrictions aimed tackling the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
3/13/2020 Netherland bans flights from China, Italy, South Korea
The Netherlands will begin banning the arrival of flights from several countries among the most affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The decision will affect flights from China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy and South Korea
3/13/2020 EU suspends aviation slots rule as coronavirus hammers airlines
The European Union will suspend a rule requiring airlines to run most of their scheduled services or else forfeit landing slots, to give carriers some breathing space as the coronavirus crisis deepens, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.
3/13/2020 Thailand: Travellers from 4 nations must show medical certificate before boarding flights to the country
Travellers from China, including Macau and Hong Kong, Iran, Italy and South Korea are now required to present a medical certificate proving they are not infected with COVID-19 before boarding their flight to Thailand.
3/14/2020 Latvia to suspend all international passenger transportation
In order to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19 cornavirus outbreak in the country, the government today had decided that all international passenger transportation will be suspended from March 17 to April 14.
3/14/2020 Vietnam to refuse visitors from UK, Schengen countries
Vietnam will deny entry and stop issuing tourist visas to citizens from Europe's Schengen visa-free area and Britain starting from Sunday (Mar 15), amid concerns over the spreading coronavirus, its foreign ministry said.
3/14/2020 UAEtemporarily suspends visas as COVID-19 declared pandemic
Effective March 17, the UAE has temporarily suspended all visas to all foreigners, with the exception of diplomatic passport holders, as part of the nation's attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).
3/15/2020 Jordan suspends flights, close borders to stop the coronavirus spread
Jordan said on Saturday it would halt flights, close its land borders and shut down schools, places of worship and public gatherings to stop the spread of novel coronavirus.
3/15/2020 Saudi Arabia suspends all international flights for two weeks
An official at Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior has confirmed that all international flights to and from the kingdom will be suspended for two weeks beginning at 11am on Sunday, March 15, reported official news channel Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
3/15/2020 Singapore imposes new requirements for visitors from ASEAN countries, Japan, Switzerland and UK
From 11.59pm on March 16, travellers entering Singapore with recent travel history to ASEAN countries, Japan, Switzerland or the UK in the last 14 days will have to comply with a new 14-day stay-home notice.
Airports:
3/10/2020 LAX screeners in self-quarantine amid coronavirus fears; airport workers urge more training
Additional screeners at Los Angeles International Airport are in self-quarantine and may be at risk of developing the new coronavirus because of their interaction with two screeners who tested positive last week for COVID-19.
3/12/2020 Guam airport starts fever scans weeks after COVID-19 outbreaks
Healthcare workers start screening passengers Thursday at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport using temperature scanners due to COVID-19 concerns.
3/13/2020 13 airports that will let Americans in from Europe after Trump's coronavirus travel ban kicks in
Donald's Trump's European travel ban has kicked in, but it has emerged that Americans flying home will only be allowed to travel through 13 airports and they will not be tested for coronavirus when they land at the border.
3/13/2020 Changi Airport's passenger traffic fell 32.8% in February amid COVID-19 outbreak Changi Airport saw a 32.8 per cent year-on-year decline in passenger movements in February as air travel demand continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 situation.
3/13/2020 Delhi Airport restricts entry to duty-free zoneIndian Customs has restricted passenger entry in Delhi Airport's duty-free zone as the country accelerates efforts to contain the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
3/15/2020 JFK, Newark airports see large crowds under new coronavirus 'enhanced screenings'
Americans returning from Europe found themselves in a crowded hell of delays and long lines Saturday night at the 13 airports selected to handle their incoming flights under new rules enacted by the Trump administration to combat the spread of the COVID-19.
3/16/2020 Atlanta airport says operations normal amid coronavirus travel turmoil Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday reported normal operations as airlines and passengers navigate new travel restrictions enacted to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Business Aviation:
3/11/2020
Singapore outlines COVID-19 measures for bizav
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has laid out a series of requirements for business aircraft to enter the country amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak around the globe. Starting at 11:59 p.m. local time on March 12, all air crew and passenger
3/11/2020
Business jet operators see demand surge on U.S. travel restrictions, coronavirus
New U.S. restrictions on Europeans entering the United States are fueling additional bookings for business jet flights, which were already in higher demand this year because of coronavirus, executives said on Thursday.
3/11/2020
EBACE business aviation show axed over Swiss restrictions
Business aviation exhibition EBACE 2020 has been cancelled as a consequence of the coronavirus situation, more than two months ahead of its scheduled opening date. The event was due to take place in Geneva from 26-28 May.
China:
3/10/2020 Shanghai airports strengthen measures
The new measures require that all travelers from countries severely affected by the virus arriving at the city's airports be subject to epidemiological investigation.
3/10/2020 CAAC: New measures aim to bail out airlines hit hard by outbreak
China will reduce its airport and air control fees by 10 percent for domestic and overseas airlines, as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
3/12/2020 Guangzhou airport enhances screenings
New measures have been introduced at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong province to prevent the coronavirus from being imported to the Chinese mainland as confirmed cases outside the country continue to grow.
3/12/2020 CAAC: the civil aviation sector handled 8.34 million passenger trips in February
Statistics from the administration show that the civil aviation sector handled 8.34 million passenger trips in February, dropping 84.5 percent from the same period of last year. And cargo transport fell by 21 percent year-on-year to 297,000 tons last month
3/12/2020 CAAC: The whole industry recorded the heaviest single-month financial loss last month
The whole industry also recorded the heaviest single-month financial loss of 24.59 billion yuan (nearly US$3.53 billion) over last month, 20.96 billion yuan of which came from the airlines' deficit.
3/13/2020 CAAC: Measures taken to reduce cases from inbound flights
The Civil Aviation Administration of China will work with the departments of foreign affairs, customs, public security, health and immigration, as well as the Beijing municipal government to strengthen the management of international flights.
3/14/2020 Beijing Daxing redirects international flights to Capital Airport
All international flights arriving in Beijing will land at the Capital International Airport, including those previously landing at the city's southern Daxing International Airport, in a bid to contain surging cross-border infections.
3/16/2020 China Southern to resume set of international flights
China Southern Airlines, the largest airline by fleet size in Asia, plans to resume international passenger flights to a number of regions starting on Friday, with demand to Australia and New Zealand becoming robust.
Travel:
3/11/2020 Business travel sector to lose US$820 billion in revenue on coronavirus hit: industry group
The global business travel sector is expected to take a revenue hit of about US$820 billion, with China accounting for nearly half of the losses, as corporates curb travel plans in the face of the coronavirus epidemic, an industry body said on Tuesday.
3/12/2020 Travel industry under siege as coronavirus contagion grows
The fallout from the coronavirus spread across the Pacific on Friday, with Australian travel firms issuing profit warnings and Japanese carriers cutting capacity, while U.S. airlines rushed to cut flights to Europe in the wake of new travel restrictions.
3/12/2020 US ban on European visitors escalates travel industry pain
President Donald Trump's 30-day ban on most Europeans entering the United States is the latest calamity for a global travel industry already reeling from falling bookings and canceled reservations as people try to avoid contracting and spreading the corona
3/12/2020 Flight Centre to close 100 stores, travel companies pull guidance
Three ASX-listed travel companies with a combined market capitalisation of $2.72 billion have all pulled their profit guidance today as border and flight restrictions block the possibility of meaningful predictions.
3/16/2020 More travel companies cut exec salaries, withdraw earnings guidance Corporate Travel Management (CTM) has suspended its earnings guidance for the 2020 financial year, as well as actioning several plans to manage costs against the reduced corporate travel activity.
3/16/2020 Hong Kong's battered tourism sector hit a new monthly lowwith arrivals plunging to 199,000 - daily average for early 2019
Hong Kong's battered tourism sector hit a new low amid the coronavirus epidemic in February when arrivals slumped to 199,000 - the daily average in the first half of last year.