News from FlightGlobal – Page 479
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NewsCanberra not keen to bail out Virgin Australia: report
Virgin Australia may not get the government support it is seeking, according to local media reports. Citing sources, the Australian Financial Review reported on 2 April that the federal government wants two strong airlines after the coronavirus crisis and would help a new carrier enter the market if Virgin Australia ...
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NewsIAG cancels planned dividend payment
IAG is withdrawing its proposal to pay a €0.17-per-share final dividend to investors, following the coronavirus shutdown. The group will instead propose, at its annual shareholders’ meeting, that all of its 2019 profit – save that already paid as an interim dividend – be added to voluntary reserves. IAG‘s board ...
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NewsEmirates to resume some flights on 6 April
Emirates plans to resume flying a limited number of passenger services on 6 April, having received approval from UAE authorities. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation as well as chairman and chief executive of Emirates, has tweeted that “these flights will initially carry travellers outbound ...
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NewsFreight rates on the rise amid slump in passenger flights
Air freight rates are rising and cargo carriers ramping up their utilisation to fill the gap left by grounded bellyhold capacity on passenger jets. Normally, nearly half of global air cargo is carried in passenger jets’ bellies. Total cargo capacity, adjusted to include the Lunar New Year, fell 4.4% in ...
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NewsAmerican Airlines cuts summer schedule
American Airlines says its summer 2020 schedule will reflect the realities of the decline in demand after the global coronavirus pandemic.
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NewsUS discount airlines urge rethink of strings attached to aid package
Ultra-low cost carriers Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines and Sun Country Airlines have raised objections to a US Department of Transportation (DOT) show cause order that requires airlines who accept government aid to maintain a minimum level of service.
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NewsIAG cuts capacity by 90% as BA puts cabin crew and pilots on leave
IAG is to cut capacity by around 90% during April and May, up from the figure of 75% previously indicated. The group’s British Airways division has confirmed it will put more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground-based employees on furlough for the two-month period. BA will apply to take advantage ...
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NewsLATAM slashes April capacity 95%
LATAM Airlines has decreased its operation-wide capacity in April by 95%, citing border closures and lower demand because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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NewsBA to furlough 30,000 staff: GMB union
British Airways will furlough more than 30,000 employees under the UK government’s job-retention scheme amid the coronavirus crisis, in a move the GMB union describes as “a relief”. “GMB and our sister union Unite have fought hard to secure members’ terms, conditions and job security. We believe the current deal, ...
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NewsBraathens Regional to halt all flights until 31 May
Swedish operator Braathens Regional Airlines is suspending all its services between 6 April and 31 May.
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NewsEasyJet founder fires first shot in bid to oust board members
EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has followed through on his threat to start dismantling the airline’s board if it fails to cancel its Airbus order, requesting a shareholder meeting to discuss the removal of Andreas Bierwirth as a director. The UK budget carrier disclosed in a 2 April regulatory filing that ...
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NewsInterim chief Mzimela leaves struggling SA Express
Interim chief executive Siza Mzimela is leaving SA Express after 18 months in the role at the challenged South African regional carrier.
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NewsPassenger traffic may only recover end-2021: ACI World
Worldwide passenger traffic may not recover to pre-coronavirus levels until the end of 2021, according to an economic analysis by Airports Council International (ACI) World. The trade association expects the coronavirus outbreak could result in a 38% shortfall in 2020 worldwide passenger traffic against its pre-crisis forecasts, and the pandemic’s ...
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NewsAirAsia’s Fernandes skeptical about deliveries any time soon
AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes is skeptical about the possibility of airlines taking new aircraft given the coronavirus epidemic’s impact on growth. During an interview on Bloomberg TV, Fernandes was asked about his orders with Airbus. “We have a large order book with Airbus…we have an interesting relationship with ...
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Wizz Air details crisis impact on traffic as it wraps up fiscal year
Budget carrier Wizz Air has become one of the first European airlines to detail the full coronavirus impact on traffic in March, a month during which airlines started embarking on widespread fleet grounding. Wizz Air says booked passenger numbers fell by nearly 36%, to 1.75 million, as it cut capacity ...
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NewsSriLankan suspends operations amid ’bleak times’
SriLankan Airlines is suspending all operations for nearly two weeks in what it describes as “bleak times” and the biggest challenge in its 40-year operating history. The Colombo-based carrier plans to halt all regularly scheduled passenger flights between 8 April and 21 April, with the exception of cargo and repatriation ...
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NewsWellington clears extra Qatar Airways flight for repatriation
The New Zealand government has approved Qatar Airways for a second daily flight from Auckland to Doha, as part of measures to help repatriate foreign nationals stranded in New Zealand. Earlier, the carrier said on 26 March that it will operate flights to Brisbane for the first time and add ...
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NewsMore cuts to APAC schedules as coronavirus outbreak persist
Asia-Pacific carrier schedules are shrinking fast as the coronavirus crisis continues to take its toll on travel demand. Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced further reductions to international capacity today, the third update in three days. The latest reductions affect routes to Frankfurt, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Ho ...
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NewsQatar Airways puts New York and Spanish flights on hold
Qatar Airways is suspending flights to New York and the Spanish cities Madrid and Barcelona, but vows to reinstate them “in line with a return to regular conditions”. Framing its decision, the Oneworld member says it “continues to temporarily hold flights to severely affected countries due to entry restrictions implemented ...
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NewsAsia-Pacific airports grind to a halt on coronavirus impact
Airports across Asia-Pacific are temporarily shutting terminals, shops and have put spending on hold as they grapple with traffic restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak. “Every passenger lost by an airline is equally a passenger lost by an airport,” says Stefano Baronci, director general of Airport Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific. ...