Aviation

‘Historic’ aid package for Air France-KLM and Renault

France said on Friday it was readying a "historic" package of multi-billion euro loans to help carmaker Renault and flag-carrier Air France through the crisis caused by the coronavirus. The…

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Airlines ponder new normal of flying with no middle seat

Airlines including United, Delta, EasyJet and others have announced plans to do away with the middle seat in their economy class cabins during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest move in…

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Alitalia being nationalised

Alitalia will "initially" be 100% state owned but "then we will have to see", Transport Minister Stefano Patuanelli said Thursday. He said the troubled former national flag carrier will be…

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Virgin Australia Australia’s first big corporate casualty of the coronavirus pandemic

Virgin Australia has confirmed it has entered voluntary administration - making it Australia's first big corporate casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. It is part-owned by a number of entities…

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IATA warns physical distancing will end era of cheap air travel

The days of cheap air travel will be over if airlines are forced to introduce physical distancing measures on planes because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry has warned. Alexandre…

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Number of passengers’ plummets by 95 % in Asian airports

Asia’s airports have reached “rock bottom” almost four months into the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number of passengers at about 5 per cent of last year’s figures, the global airports’…

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Clear skies as flights over Europe are reduced by 87%

On Thursday, there were just 4162 flights in the European network administered by Eurocontrol, down 87% on the same day last year. Eurocontrol

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Etihad to cautiously return to flying

Etihad Airways has unveiled plans to return to a limited schedule of flying from May 1st - subject to United Arab Emirates government-imposed travel restrictions being lifted. In a…

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Global airline revenues ‘to fall by half’

Global airline revenues are forecast to drop by more than half – $314bn – in 2020, as the industry warns that its “outlook grows darker by the day”. The International…

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Concern on well being of Pilots and Cabin Crew growing in US as first death is reported

In the United States the trade unions representing flight attendants have begun to share that many members have tested positive and the numbers are also alarming. According to Plane and…

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Airbus to cut jetliner production

European manufacturer Airbus announced plans to cut jetliner production across the board after the coronavirus epidemic triggered aviation's worst industrial crisis and drastically reduced deliveries to cash-starved airlines. In its largest-ever…

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France to give ‘massive’ support to Air France-KLM

The French government is prepared to provide “massive support” to Air France KLM to help the French-Dutch air carrier make it through the downturn, France’s finance minister Bruno Le Maire has told…

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British Airways suspends all Gatwick flights

British Airways will suspend all flights to and from London's Gatwick airport amid a collapse in demand due to the coronavirus. It follows EasyJet's suspension of flights after the government…

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Virgin Atlantic to seek bailout in coming days

Virgin Atlantic is expected to ask for a government bailout worth hundreds of millions of pounds in the coming days, the BBC understands. Requests for state aid are also expected…

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Gatwick to close north terminal as flights dwindle

London's second-busiest airport is to close one of its two terminals after a slump in flights triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sky News has learnt that Gatwick Airport has decided…

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Russia grounds international flights, Moscow to close all shops

The Russian government has ordered the civil aviation authority to suspend all regular and charter flights to and from Russia from March 27, the government said on its website. Russian…

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Wizz Air halts operations on three Romanian airports

Wizz Air, the biggest airline in Romania by number of passengers transported, announced that it would suspend all operations from its local bases in Timisoara, Craiova and Sibiu, from March…

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IATA predicts huge falls in aviation revenue

The International Air Transport Association has 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…

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Turkish Airlines says 85% of its passenger planes idle

Turkish Airlines’ board chairman said on Sunday that 85% of the carrier’s passenger planes were not being used at the moment, after Turkey banned flights from more than 60…

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Ryanair to cut staff and executives pay by 50%

Ryanair's chief executive has said he and the rest of the airline's employees will take a 50% pay cut for the months of April and May as a result of…

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British Airways pilots to face pay cut due to coronavirus

British Airways pilots will face a 50% pay cut to their basic salary for April and May, as the airline seeks to reduce its cost to try survive the coronavirus…

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Air Canada to lay off more than 5,100 employees amid coronavirus outbreak

Air Canada is set to lay off more than 5,100 members of its cabin crews because of a decline in flights following the coronavirus outbreak, CBC News reported here late…

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Airline industry may not survive without state aid – Lufthansa

The airline industry may not survive without state aid if the coronavirus pandemic lasts a long time, Lufthansa warned on Thursday, predicting it would emerge into a “different world”…

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European Commission provides guidance on EU passenger rights amid coronavirus outbreak

In an effort to mitigate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission has published guidelines to ensure EU passenger rights are applied in a coherent manner across the…

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Qantas suspends all international flights due to coronavirus pandemic

A Qantas aircraft takes off from Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, 19 March 2020. According to media reports on 19 March 2020, Qantas has suspended all international flights and will…

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Emirates suspends flights to Malta, Porto and Larnaca

Emirates has suspended services to 30 destinations across its network in a bid to comply with travel restrictions introduced to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by air travel. The latest…

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Airlines slash more flights, Tui cancels the “vast majority” of its holidays

Travel restrictions and a slump in demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have forced airlines to lay off staff and cut more flights. On Monday, British Airways owner…

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Morocco suspends all international flights as cases increase

The Moroccan government suspended all international air routes to and from its territory until further notice. Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the decision in a press release on Sunday,…

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International travel and internal movement in many countries set to be restricted in coming days

International travel and internal movement in many countries will be severely curtailed by restrictions set to come into effect over the coming days. Walls are being raised and mass quarantines…

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Aviation and air travel hit significantly by CoVid19 outbreak

The international travel industry faces a widespread shutdown over coronavirus fears after airlines announced new flight reductions and more countries introduced travel bans and isolation requirements. Travel businesses were hit…

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KLM to cut up to 2,000 jobs

KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France-KLM, plans to slash up to 2,000 jobs and ask for government support as it cuts working hours by one-third for its entire staff…

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Norwegian Air to temporarily lay off half of employees due to COVID-19

Norwegian Air will cut 4,000 flights and temporarily lay off half of its employees as it struggles to deal with the effects of coronavirus on the travel industry. The…

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Air freight rates skyrocket amid passenger flight cuts

Air freight rates are skyrocketing after the grounding of many passenger flights in Asia has left shippers scrambling to book limited spots on cargo planes as Chinese industrial production restarts,…

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EU to suspend ‘ghost flight’ rules due to coronavirus

The European Union will temporarily suspend the regulations forcing airlines to run most of their flights, despite their passengers not turning up because of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) to secure…

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Ryanair suspends recruitment due to coronavirus outbreak, EasyJet cancels all Italian flights

Ryanair has decided to temporarily suspend all its recruitment decisions and salary increases because of the coronavirus crisis and the impact on its activity, according to an internal letter reported…

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Airlines facing turbulence

The crisis engulfing the airline industry deepened on Tuesday as carriers cancelled flights, withdrew earnings guidance and implemented austerity measures to cope with the travel slump caused by the coronavirus…

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Ferenc Liszt Intʼl in Budapest blocks flights from north of Italy

Ferenc Liszt International will stop accepting flights from Milan, Treviso, and Bergamo from Monday because of a lockdown there over the coronavirus, operator Budapest Airport said, according to a report…

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Air Malta suspends all daily flights to Milan

Air Malta has announced that it suspended its daily flight to Milan until further notice due to the current situation in Northern Italy amid the Coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak, following the…

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El Al revenues could drop by $160 million due to coronavirus outbreak

Israeli flag carrier El Al currently expects revenues to plunge by $140-160 million between January and April due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the airline said Sunday in a filing…

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Wealthy turning to private jets to escape coronavirus outbreak

Big businesses and wealthy people are chartering private jets for “evacuation flights” out of countries hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Adam Twidell, the chief executive of the private jet booking…

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Post Brexit UK to leave European Aviation Safety regulator

The UK will leave the European aviation safety regulator after the Brexit transition period, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed. BBC reports him saying that UK membership of the European…

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Flybe’s collapse could be ‘first of many’ airlines

The failure of Europe's biggest regional airline Flybe could be the start of more casualties, analysts predict. On Thursday, a global airline industry body warned the financial hit from coronavirus…

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Ryanair offers ‘rescue fares’ to ex-Flybe customers

Ryanair has launched a series of special offers to ex-Flybe passengers, following the company’s announcement that it went in administration on Thursday. Flybe, a British airline based in England, entered…

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Flybe goes into administration after coronavirus struggle

UK airline Flybe has collapsed after months of talks with the government failed to secure a crucial £100m loan and the deadly coronavirus slashed demand. One of Britain's largest airlines,…

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Brussels Airlines further reduces services to Italy

Brussels Airlines will further reduce its services to and from Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the impact on flights, the Airline announced on Tuesday. As the overall changing…

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Emirates Group tells staff to take leave due to coronavirus

Dubai’s Emirates Group has seen a “measurable slowdown” in business due to the coronavirus outbreak and has asked staff to take paid and unpaid leave, reports Reuters based on an…

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Airlines at center of storm as coronavirus spreads

European airlines stepped up their warnings over the coronavirus outbreak, with British Airways-owner IAG and Finnair flagging a hit to profits and easyJet reporting a big drop in demand…

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Which countries currently have coronavirus travel restrictions in place?

International travellers are facing tighter restrictions at airports as the number of countries denying entry to passengers who have recently visited China, Italy and other regions with reported cases of…

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Boeing lands in Moscow after cracked window emergency

A Boeing-777 passenger plane en route to Bangkok with more than 200 people on board has been forced to fly back to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport because of a cracked cockpit…

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Heathrow third runway ruled illegal over climate change

Plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport have been ruled illegal by the court of appeal because ministers did not adequately take into account the government’s climate change commitments.…

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Airbus plans to cut thousands of jobs throughout Europe

Airbus announced it planned to cut 2,362 jobs in its Defence and Space division, which is headquartered near Munich, over the next two years. The European multinational aerospace company will cut 829 jobs in…

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Qatar Airways hikes stake in BA owner IAG

Qatar Airways Group has revealed it now owns more than a quarter of shares in British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) after upping its stake. Qatar Airways increased its…

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Photo story: Fatal plane crash kills four people in Victoria, Australia

Emergency service personnel attend to the wreckage of a light aircraft on a property in Avenel, Victoria, Australia, 19 February 2020. Four people are dead after two planes, one of…

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Photo Story: Tribute to victims of Ukraine International Airlines crash in Iran

The ceremony of the founding a memorial square to the memory of victims of the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Flight PS752 that crashed in Iran, at Boryspil International Airport in…

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System outage leads to cancellations and delays in London Heathrow Airport

Thousands of passengers were facing cancellations and delays on Sunday after a systems failure affecting all terminals at London Heathrow airport. Travellers on social media reported being stuck on planes…

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Air Italy commences redundancy procedures for 1,450 employees

Air Italy's liquidators told managers on Friday that the procedure to make the airline's 1,450 employees redundant has been launched, in a conference call conducted from Olbia and Milan Malpensa…

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British Airways’ Customers in Royal Air Maroc Codeshare Agreement

British Airways and Royal Air Maroc have announced a new codeshare agreement which will open up new routes across Morocco including Casablanca and Agadir. It will also give customers more…

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