Latest Updates on COVID-19 Aviation Impact (Mar 17 - 23, 2020)
China Aviation Daily | Mar. 24, 2020
CHINA
3/18/2020 Overseas students advised to not return to China If trip is unnecessary Chinese students overseas are better off suspending their trips back to China if "it's not very necessary", a health official in Beijing said on Wednesday, as the novel coronavirus spreads worldwide and long trips may increase their risk of being infected.
3/19/2020 State-owned airlines post sluggish performance amid epidemic China's three major carriers all posted sluggish operational data in February, in the wake of the global novel coronavirus epidemic, according to their statements released on Wednesday. However, the domestic air travel market is starting to pick up in March.
3/19/2020 HK may expand screening facilities beyond airport Starting on Thursday, travelers arriving in Hong Kong from any foreign country will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine - mostly at home.
3/20/2020 CCAC cap inbound flights China civil aviation authorities will cap the number of inbound flights to the country in a bid to tighten the control of imported cases of novel coronavirus.
3/21/2020 CAAC orders orderly redirection of Beijing intl flights China's top civil aviation administrator has called for a safe and orderly operation to ensure inbound international flights scheduled to land at the Beijing Capital International Airport are redirected to designated entry airports in nearby cities.
3/23/2020 Beijing flights will be diverted Starting Monday, the Chinese capital will redirect all the inbound flights scheduled to land at Beijing Capital International Airport to 12 designated airports where passengers' health condition will be checked.
3/23/2020 Passenger routes help deliver goods to traders China National Aviation Holding Corp has made efforts to prevent and control the novel coronavirus by providing rescue guarantees and ensuring the smooth operation of flights.
3/23/2020 Foreign airlines suspend Beijing flights after reroute order International airlines are reevaluating their Beijing flight schedules as some have already suspended services after Chinese officials began diverting international flights to the capital to other domestic destinations.
GOVERNMENT
3/17/2020 IATA: Airlines need up to US$200 billion to survive virus The global airline industry needs government aid and bailout measures totaling between US$150 billion and US$200 billion if it's to survive the coronavirus crisis, according to the International Air Transport Association.
3/17/2020 ACI Europe predicts 100 million passengers lost in Q1 in Europe European airports stand to lose more than 100 million passengers and EUR 2 billion of revenue in the first quarter of 2020 alone, due to the Coronavirus situation.
3/17/2020 Italy announces plan to take over struggling Alitalia airline Italy will renationalize flag carrier Alitalia as part of a larger coronavirus-related economic rescue plan.
3/17/2020 Korea State lenders to package US$164 mn loans to back Jeju Air acquisition of Easter Jet State lenders will package up 200 billion won (US$164 million) in syndicate loan to back Jeju Air, Korea`s largest low-cost carrier (LCC), in its acquisition of smaller player Easter Jet and operation of the two under common aviation challenge from global pandemic that has put the air travel business in limbo.
3/17/2020 Egypt suspending all flights amid coronavirus spread Egypt is suspending all flights into and out of the country's airports beginning at noon Thursday.
3/19/2020 India mulls up to US$1.6 billion rescue plan for aviation sector after coronavirus India is planning a rescue package worth as much as US$1.6 billion for the aviation sector, which has been battered after the coronavirus outbreak forced countries to close borders and brought air travel to a near-halt.
3/20/2020 Norway government rescues norwegian with US$543 million loan guarantee Of the government's proposed crisis package of 6 billion Norwegian kroner (US$543 million), half will be made available to Norwegian. The support is in the form of state guarantees for bank loans.
3/21/2020 Turkey halts flights to 46 more countries over COVID-19 To help curb spread of coronavirus, Turkey stops flights to 68 countries in total, says Transport and Infrastructure Ministry.
3/22/2020 UK Government plans to buy stakes in airlines Amid a worldwide drop in the number of people flying due to the coronavirus, the government of the United Kingdom is considering buying a stake in British Airways and other UK based airlines.
3/23/2020 UAE suspends all passenger and transit flights The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will shut down passenger services for its national carrier - one of the world's largest airlines to fall victim to the economic effect of the new coronavirus.
3/23/2020 US provide financial aid to U.S. airports A Senate Republican coronavirus stimulus package would provide financial aid to U.S. airports, transit systems and passenger railroad Amtrak, but $50 billion for struggling U.S. airlines would be a loan not a cash payout.
3/23/2020 FAA plans to extend minimum flight requirement waiver through Oct. 24 FAA said Sunday it has tentatively decided to extend temporarily waivers of minimum flight requirements at U.S. airports through Oct. 24 to help airlines facing a steep decline in travel demand due to the coronavirus.
AIRLINES
3/18/2020 WestJet releases list of flights with confirmed COVID-19 cases WestJet is warning passengers of several recent flights of the potential exposure to a person who has since tested positive for COVID-19.
3/20/2020 Ethiopian Airlines suspends flights to 30 countries hardest-hit by COVID-19 Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to 30 countries hardest-hit by novel coronavirus (Covid19) effective immediately, PM Abiy Ahmed has announced.
3/21/2020 SAA suspends int'l flights over COVID-19 South African Airways (SAA) announced on Mar 20 it would suspend international flights until May 31 in response to government travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
3/21/2020 Qatar Airways drops Airbus A380s, cuts flight to Australia, London Qatar Airways will trim its flights to Australia, and the rest of the world, across April and May 2020, while also grounding most of its ten Airbus A380s in response to a global downturn in air travel.
3/21/2020 Etihad Airways temporarily suspends services to Pakistan Etihad Airways on Saturday suspended flights to Pakistan and reduced services to the US, Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland to contain spread of coronavirus.
3/21/2020 Air Canada cancels all Toronto-North Bay flights amid COVID-19 pandemic Air Canada has decided to temporarily suspend its main route out of the North Bay Jack Garland Airport. The Toronto to North Bay service will be temporarily suspended starting on March 23 until April 30.
3/21/2020 Kenya Airways suspends international flights Kenya Airways has "temporarily suspended" all international services effective midnight March 25.
3/22/2020 Turkish Airlines reduce destinations to just 5 from over 300 Turkish Airlines announced it will be suspending international flights to all but five destinations: Hong Kong; Addis Ababa; Moscow; New York City; and Washington, DC.
3/22/2020 Emirates stops nearly all passenger flights, slashes wages Emirates, one of the world's biggest long-haul airlines, said on Sunday it would stop nearly all passenger flights this week and cut staff wages by as much as half because of the coronavirus impact on travel demand.
3/22/2020 Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia limit number of flights till March 31 Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia will significantly reduce its overall network, following the nationwide movement control order from March 18 to 31.
3/22/2020 American Airlines baggage handler at DFW Airport diagnosed with COVID-19 An American Airlines baggage handler at DFW International Airport left work this week after being diagnosed with COVID-19, raising the total to three company employees now out with the fast-spreading virus.
AIRPORT
3/17/2020 UK airports may be forced to shut down within weeks due to COVID-19 The CEO of AOA has warned that UK airports may be forced to shut down within weeks due to COVID-19 if the UK government doesn't provide immediate support.
3/17/2020 Abu Dhabi International Airport closes Terminal 2 The UAE's Abu Dhabi International Airport (UAH) has confirmed the closure of one of its three terminals amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
3/17/2020 Vancouver International Airport introduces more screening measures Vancouver International Airport, one of just four Canadian airports allowed to accept international flights as of Wednesday, is stepping up its screening, adding more signs and information, and targeting passengers who exhibit signs of illness.
3/18/2020 Chicago's Midway Airport tower closed after employees test positive for COVID-19 FAA is temporarily closing the tower at Midway Airport, the second largest airport in the Chicago area, as several technicians at the facility tested positive for COVID-19.
3/18/2020 Gatwick Airport to implement different measures Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UK's London Gatwick Airport has announced its plans to implement different measures, including job cuts, to 'safeguard the financial resilience of the business'.
3/20/2020 Auckland Airport requests passengers with confirmed flights During the COVID-19 pandemic, Auckland Airport in New Zealand has requested that passengers only come to the airport when their international flights are confirmed to depart in three hours.
3/20/2020 4th TSA worker at Orlando International Airport tests positive for COVID-19 A fourth TSA worker at Orlando International Airport has tested positive for the coronavirus, the agency said Sunday.
3/21/2020 Manchester airport sees its passenger traffic down 81% Passenger traffic is down 81 percent compared to the same time frame last year, said Manchester-Boston Regional Airport officials, who warn the transportation hub is facing a financial shortfall of US$5 million to US$8 million this fiscal year.
3/21/2020 Mumbai airport sees its international passenger traffic down 70% in Mar International passenger traffic at Mumbai airport, the country's second busiest airport here has seen a sharp decline of up to 70 per cent in March, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, an airport official said on Saturday.
TRAVEL
3/17/2020 Travel industry pushes for US$150 billion in aid as coronavirus cripples business The U.S. travel and tourism industry is seeking US$150 billion in relief to help grapple with the coronavirus pandemic that has ground travel to a halt.
3/17/2020 Coronavirus could inflict US$800 billion hit on travel industry Based on new analysis from the U.S. Travel Association, the organization projects an US$809 billion hit on the U.S. economy and the loss of 4.6 million travel-related jobs in the country.
3/17/2020 Tourism industry calls for US$150 billion in assistance The U.S. Travel Association and the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) on Tuesday called on Congress and the administration to provide US$150 billion in overall relief to the broader travel sector as it struggles through a coronavirus epidemic.
3/17/2020 ASTA requests coronavirus relief from congress The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has requested coronavirus relief from Congress.
3/19/2020 USTA: COVID-19 will cost U.S. travel 4.6M jobs before May The U.S. Travel Association yesterday forecast 4.6 million jobs will disappear from the travel sector by the end of April, revising a previous timeline.
3/20/2020 World Travel and Tourism Council: One million jobs a day being lost due to coronavirus The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) says that "a staggering one million jobs are being lost every day in the Travel and Tourism sector due to the sweeping effect of the coronavirus pandemic".
BUSINESS AVIATION
3/18/2020 Business jet-maker Textron Aviation furloughs thousands of US workers as coronavirus hits aerospace industry Business jet-maker Textron Aviation on Wednesday said it will furlough thousands of U.S. employees, as the rapid spread of coronavirus hurts the aviation industry and other sectors.
3/18/2020 EBAA calls on governments to support Europe's business aviation community The European Business Aviation Association is calling on the continent's governments and legislators to support the sector throughout the coronavirus crisis, as the pandemic forces the grounding of many aircraft and risks the future of a host of firms.
3/18/2020 US general aviation braces for cornoavirus hit US flight instructors, flight schools, aviation museums, small airports and an array of associated businesses may be in for tough times as the coronavirus stifles aviation-related commerce.
3/19/2020 Private jets companies thrive as airlines go bankrupt amidst coronavirus pandemic With commercial airlines engulfed by a maelstrom due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the private jet sector is thriving. According to reports, Global consultancy CAPA said that all major airlines are could go bankrupt by May.
3/19/2020 China and HK wealthy flee coronavirus in west by private jet Hong Kong international airport reported its busiest day for private jet activity on record this week as wealthy residents of the territory and Chinese citizens rush back to the city before authorities imposed strict quarantine measures on new arrivals.
3/20/2020 Private jet industry asks for bailout funding The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) sent a joint letter with other industry groups to congressional leaders saying the industry is facing "increasing financial uncertainty" and that private-jet companies should be included in any airline or aviation bailout.