Aviation

At least two passengers survive Pakistan air crash

One of the survivors of Friday's plane crash in the Pakistani city of Karachi has described his ordeal, saying all he could see "was fire". Passenger Muhammad Zubair was one…

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Ryanair’s Lauda airline to close Vienna base with loss of 300 jobs

Ryanair's Austrian airline Lauda on Friday said it would shut down its main Vienna base on May 29 with the loss of more than 300 jobs in Austria after it…

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Heathrow testing thermal imaging temperature checks for Terminal 2 arrivals

Passengers arriving at Heathrow's Terminal 2 are being screened for high temperatures from Thursday in a bid to identify travellers who might be infected with coronavirus. Thermal imaging cameras mounted…

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Photo Story: Prague Airport returns slowly to normality

Air staff wearing protective face mask walk at an arrivals area of the Vaclav Havel airport in Prague, Czech Republic. Czech Airlines resumed operations from Vaclav Havel Airport Prague from…

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Poland to extend ban on international flights until June 6

Poland plans to extend a ban on international flights by two weeks until June 6 due to the coronavirus pandemic, state-run news agency PAP said on Friday citing infrastructure ministry…

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U.S. to pull out of Open Skies treaty

The United States said on Thursday it would withdraw from the 35-nation Open Skies treaty allowing unarmed surveillance flights over member countries, the Trump administration’s latest move to pull the…

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India is set to resume domestic flights

India is set to resume domestic flights two months after the government imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. The flights will start from next Monday “in a…

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Lufthansa in advanced talks for state rescue deal worth about $10 billion

Airline Lufthansa said on Thursday it is in advanced talks with the German government’s economic stabilisation fund over a rescue deal worth up to 9 billion euros (8 billion pounds),…

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EasyJet to restart flights in June with passengers and crew in masks

British low-cost airline easyJet said a small number of flights would restart on June 15 and that passengers and cabin crew would all be required to wear masks when travelling.…

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Alitalia to resume certain flights, to increase its flights with Catania and Palermo

Starting 02 June 2020 Alitalia is going to resume non-stop flights between Rome and New York, Spain (Rome-Madrid and Rome-Barcelona) and direct connections between Milan and South Italy. The company…

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Finnair says it will open key Asia routes in July

Finnish flag carrier Finnair said on Monday it would start to operate flights to its key Asian destinations in China, Japan and elsewhere from July as it starts to reopen…

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Shortlist of four suitors in the running to take over Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia and its administrator Deloitte have shortlisted "highly credentialed" parties who could end up being the new owners of Australia's second major carrier. ABC News reports that the shortlist…

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Heathrow urges UK govt to start ‘travel bubbles’ for low-risk countries

Britain should set up "travel bubbles" with low-risk countries to allow the movement of people, instead of bringing in new coronavirus quarantine rules when flights restart, according to Heathrow Airport.…

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Ryanair reports year profit up 13%, lowers traffic target

Ryanair cut its annual passenger traffic target by another 20% and warned it will look at pulling out of some airports across Europe as it booked a 13% rise in…

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Royal Air Maroc mulls state loan guarantee to withstand coronavirus losses

Morocco's Royal Air Maroc (RAM) may seek a state loan guarantee to help cover June expenses as it struggles with $5 million in daily losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic,…

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Belgium tells Lufthansa state aid possible if conditions met

The Belgian government said it was committed to reaching a deal with Lufthansa to save its Belgian subsidiary Brussels Airlines if the future of the national carrier was guaranteed. Belgian…

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Ryanair cutting 250 jobs across office network

Ryanair said it is cutting more than 250 jobs at its offices in Dublin, Stansted, Madrid and Wroclaw. It said the job cuts will be made through a combination of…

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Brazil’s LATAM airlines to lay off 1,400 employees

LATAM Airlines Group, the region's largest carrier, will lay off 1,400 employees, the company said on Friday, marking the first instance of a major Latin American airline laying off staff…

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Air Canada to lay off more than half of its employees

Air Canada will lay off more than half of its 38,000 employees next month as it grapples with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The layoffs, which will take place June…

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Thai Airways set to file for bankruptcy

The logo of Thai Airways is seen inside a terminal of the Suvarnabhumi International airport in Bangkok, Thailand, 15 May 2020. Thai Airways International (THAI) is set to file for…

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Cathay Pacific losing money, says business outlook remains ‘very bleak’

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Friday it made an unaudited loss of HK$4.5 billion ($580.53 million) at its full-service airlines in the first four months of the year and…

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Temperature checks, masks the new normal for air travel, says Dubai airport CEO

Temperature screening and face masks will become common sights at airports to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus, but physical distancing could make flying more expensive, the head of…

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U.S. airlines tell crews not to force passengers to wear masks

The top three U.S. airlines have told their flight attendants not to force passengers to comply with their new policy requiring face coverings, just encourage them to do so, according…

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Australia saw overseas visitors fall 99% in April amid coronavirus lockdown

Australia saw overseas arrivals collapse to almost nothing in April as it closed its borders to fight the coronavirus pandemic, in a massive blow for the tourist industry. Preliminary data…

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1,000 jobs to be axed at Brussels Airlines

Management at Brussels Airlines have announced that as many as 1,000 of the more 4,000 people that work at the airline face losing their jobs. The announcement was made during…

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U.S. airlines say massive job cuts are inevitable after bailout money dries up

US airline workers have been largely spared from the carnage that's pushed the country's unemployment to record highs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But those same workers --…

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British aviation watchdog warns airlines over passenger refund rights

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the British aviation watchdog has warned airlines that they are legally required to provide refunds to customers who had their flights cancelled because of the…

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Colombian airline Avianca files for bankruptcy

Colombia's national airline, Avianca, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court. The carrier is the second-largest in Latin America, but its passenger operations have been grounded since March…

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Emirates raising debt to brace for more Covid-19 turbulence

International air travel will take at least 18 months to recover, Emirates Airline said Sunday, as the coronavirus pandemic contributed to a collapse in annual net profits at the carrier’s…

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Ailing airline and automotive industry pose biggest hurdle for European Green Deal in post Covid-19 scenario

POLITICO reports that "Berlin and Paris are under enormous pressure to save their airlines and carmakers from the coronavirus pandemic, but they are struggling to make their support for national…

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Airbus deliveries plunge 80% in April

Airbus deliveries tumbled 80% to just 14 aircraft in April, compared with a year earlier, as operations were hit by the coronavirus crisis, company data showed on Thursday. The handovers,…

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Latvia’s government approves 250 million euros investment in airBaltic

Latvia's government on Thursday gave the go-ahead to an investment of up to 250 million euros ($271 million) in airBaltic to help the airline get through the COVID-19 pandemic. The…

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Lufthansa negotiating a 9 billion euro bailout programme

Lufthansa is negotiating a 9 billion euro ($9.71 billion) bailout with Germany's economic stabilisation fund to ensure its future, the airline said on Thursday. The "stabilisation package" includes a non-voting…

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Heathrow Airport to begin trial of temperature screening technology

Heathrow is to try out temperature screening technology to monitor people moving through the airport for signs of coronavirus. Other measures under review include UV sanitation to quickly cleanse the…

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British Airways gets help from UK government funds, hopes to revive flights in July

British Airways parent IAG has tapped UK government-backed loans to boost liquidity, in a sign of the damage wrought by the coronavirus on even the industry's strongest players. IAG accessed…

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Austrian Airlines plans to cut 1,100 jobs

Lufthansa unit Austrian Airlines, which has applied for 767 million euros (669.7 million pounds) in emergency aid from the Austrian government, plans to cut 1,100 of its 7,000 staff by…

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Virgin Atlantic to axe more than 3,000 jobs

Virgin Atlantic is to axe up to a third of its workforce as it battles to secure new funding that would enable it to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Sky…

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IATA is opposed to social distancing onboard flights

The international aviation governing body, IATA, said it is opposed to social distancing during flights, claiming that “evidence” suggests that the risk of transmission on board aircraft is low, and…

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Qatar Airways planning significant job cuts

Qatar Airways is planning to cut a significant amount of jobs due to the travel disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and told cabin crew to prepare for redundancies, according…

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Lufthansa hopeful of securing government bailout

Lufthansa is hopeful its bailout talks with the German government can be concluded soon, the airline’s board told staff in a letter seen by Reuters, adding that it is also…

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Airlines requiring passengers to wear face masks increase

Some major airlines are now requiring passengers to wear face mask on flights to limit the spread of viruses. When it comes to a global policy for airlines to follow,…

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Warren Buffett sells US airline shares

American Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says his company Berkshire Hathaway has sold all of its shares in the four largest US airlines. Speaking at the annual shareholders' meeting, Mr…

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Germany, Italy and Spain join other 12 governments calling EU to suspend cash-refunds in bid to save cash-drained airlines

Germany, Italy and Spain have joined a call by 12 European Union governments for the EU's executive body to suspend rules forcing crisis-hit airlines to offer full cash refunds for…

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