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Effect of Coronavirus Pandemic on the Airline/Aviation industry and Air Travel

Greece has signalled it will announce its hotly-awaited operational plan reviving the tourism sector tomorrow, writes Helena Smith, the Guardian’s Athens correspondent.

Media reports this morning suggest that the country’s borders may be re-opened by mid-June, two weeks earlier than expected. Under the plan, to be announced by prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, travellers from across the EU as well as Israel would be allowed into Greece. It is unclear whether they would be subjected to a Covid-19 blood test or be asked to adhere to other health protocols.

Greek outlets reported that travellers would be obliged to maintain social distancing rules at airports and wear masks during flights.

The news came as RyanAir, the no-frills airline, announced that it would be resuming flights to destinations in Greece, including Corfu.

In a country where tourism accounts for 25 percent of GDP, the government is hoping to capitalise on its successful handling of the pandemic to attract what Mitsotakis has called “a larger piece of Europe’s smaller tourism pie.”

Social distancing stickers placed at entry point to the Acropolis on Monday. Travellers from across the EU and Israel are expected to be allowed into the country this summer.

“Given the importance of tourism and the catering sector for the country’s economy, particularly during the second half of the year, our plan will have a three-pronged strategy covering employment, taxation and liquidity,” the government spokesman, Stelios Petsas said on Monday. “This summer will not be like last year.”

In 2019 a record 33 million tourists visited Greece – the equivalent of three times its population.

On Monday some 200 archaeological sites, closed to contain the spread of the virus, were re-opened to the public as Greece began preparing for the tourism season.
 
SYDNEY/BEIJING/HELSINKI (Reuters) - In Thailand, you cannot have food or water in flight and must wear a mask. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the plane needs to be half-empty. In the United States and Europe, it’s not mandatory for airlines to leave the middle seat open.

Measures to stem the spread of coronavirus have changed how people travel, as Beijing resident Feng Xueli, 26, found when she took a domestic flight this month. The aircraft was full - allowed under the Chinese rules.

“We needed to wear a mask during the flight and there were PA announcements basically asking for our cooperation with these anti-virus measures put in place, which made me a bit nervous,” Feng said. “You also need to go through a lot of temperature checks and security checks when you leave the airport.”

Travellers, airlines and airports are grappling with a hodgepodge of rules put in place during the pandemic that will make flying different in almost every country.

“When flying restarts, you are already working against the clock. There is still a latent fear of travel,” said Subhas Menon, head of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. “It’s not going to be such a smooth passage when you travel because of all of the measures that are going to be introduced.”

A little more than a year after uneven national responses to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX, the industry is once again facing piecemeal regulation.

The last trigger for such widespread changes in the way airlines operate was the 2001 attacks in the United States, which ushered in new security measures.

“People globally have understood the security requirements that came after 9/11. We would like to see that kind of standardisation of protocols,” said Boeing vice-president Mike Delaney, leader of Boeing’s Confident Travel Initiative.

Onboard service is changing too. Business-class meals, once a selling point for premium carriers hiring celebrity chefs, have been reduced to pre-packaged items on carriers including Emirates, Air Canada and British Airways.

Automation is also increasing, as carriers such as Qantas Airways Ltd ask passengers to check in online to limit contact with staff and other fliers.

“More than ever, the industry will work towards the vision of an entirely mobile-enabled journey,” said Sumesh Patel of technology provider SITA, which hopes to benefit from the trend.

EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT?
On the airplane, one of the biggest debates has been over whether middle seats should be empty.

That would limit airplanes to two-thirds of their normal capacity, not enough for most airlines to make a profit without increasing fares.

Afif Zakwan, 20, recently took a Malaysia Airlines domestic flight that was exempt from the requirement to fly half-empty.

He said he was comfortable being on a full domestic flight, but would not consider flying internationally for now.

“As more and more people travel for whatever reason, confidence and the power of word of mouth experiences will shape the... recovery,” said Mayur Patel of data firm OAG Aviation.

An official at the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau said the issue of an open middle seat, which could create unfair advantages if applied unevenly, was “controversial”.

“It’s crucial that countries where flights depart coordinate their responses with countries where they arrive,” said the official, who was not authorised to speak publicly.

Despite the call for common standards, some nations are applying their rules just to airlines registered in their country, while others are applying them to foreign carriers.

U.S. carriers are among those requiring passengers and crew to wear facial coverings, and have also endorsed temperature checks.

In Europe, airlines are largely resisting calls to leave the middle seat empty but have publicised other changes designed to reassure passengers.

“You have to remember an aircraft is not the natural place to do social-distancing, so you need to mitigate the health risks by other means, and facial masks are a good example of those means,” Finnair Plc Chief Executive Topi Manner told Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...which-country-you-are-flying-in-idUSKBN22V0B5
 
The prime minister of Thailand has announced the government will not fund the continuing operation of Thai Airways, instead putting the flag carrier into court-supervised restructuring.

In a speech on Tuesday, Prayut Chan-o-cha said he wanted to save the country’s money “to help the public in the months ahead,” warning that the economic crisis to come would be “even more serious” than the pandemic, which has had a limited impact in Thailand.
 
Egypt extends suspension of international flights

Egypt has extended a halt to all international passenger flights to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a statement.

Flights at Egyptian airports were suspended on March 19, and the stoppage will continue until further notice, the statement said.
 
Public trust in the travel industry has plunged to an all-time low as airlines and holiday companies continue to deny and delay refunds for coronavirus cancellations, in breach of the law, according to new research from a UK consumer group.

The latest consumer insight tracker from Which? reveals that trust in airlines and holiday companies has slumped from a net score of nine in February 2020 to -12 in May 2020, a fall of 21 points and the lowest in the seven years of collecting the data.
 
Rolls-Royce has said it will cut 9,000 jobs and warned it will take "several years" for the airline industry to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The firm, which makes engines for planes, said the reduction of nearly a fifth of its workforce would mainly affect its civil aerospace division.

"This is not a crisis of our making. But it is the crisis that we face and must deal with," boss Warren East said.

The bulk of the job cuts are expected to be in the UK.

Rolls-Royce employs 52,000 people globally and Mr East told the BBC's Today programme the company had not yet concluded on "exactly" where the job losses would be, due to having to consult with unions.

But he said: "It's fair to say that of our civil aerospace business approximately two-thirds of the total employees are in the UK at the moment and that's probably a good first proxy."

Air travel has ground to a virtual standstill since the coronavirus began spreading across the world and many airlines have announced steep job cuts.

Rolls-Royce said the "major reorganisation" of its business would allow it "to adapt to the new level of demand we are seeing from customers".

As well as the job losses, the company said it would cut costs in areas such as its plants and properties. It expects to make total cost savings of £1.3bn.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52723107
 
U.S. airlines step up safety measures in preparation for recovery

(Reuters) - U.S. carriers JetBlue Airways Corp and United Airlines Holdings Inc announced fresh safety measures on Wednesday aimed at restoring confidence in travel as several executives pointed to signs domestic demand is improving.

U.S. states are starting to reopen following stay-at-home orders meant to curb the spread of the new coronavirus that has decimated air travel demand.

“We are starting to see some small green shots,” JetBlue President and Chief Operating Officer Joanna Geraghty told Reuters, citing declines in no-show rates and cancellations, and interest in fall and winter bookings.

JetBlue and others are scouring customer research, visits to their websites and macroeconomic data to get a better picture of a rebound, she said.

United’s Scott Kirby, who takes over as CEO on Wednesday, said the timing of a recovery “is getting better every day” although demand “is still not anywhere close to normal.”

To encourage travel ahead of the development of a vaccine, airlines are taking a layered approach to safety.

JetBlue plans to continue blocking seats on its aircraft through at least July 6, check crew members’ temperatures and step up aircraft cleaning with electrostatic aircraft fogging in June, among other measures.

“All of these items work in concert with each other,” Geraghty said, citing passenger concerns such as physical spacing on board, cleanliness, and the health of airline crew.

United said it was teaming up with bleach products company Clorox Co and Cleveland Clinic medical experts to advise on new cleaning and safety protocols, and plans to roll out Clorox electrostatic sprayers and disinfecting wipes at its hub airports in Chicago and Denver, followed by other locations.

JetBlue was the first major U.S. carrier to mandate face coverings for passengers and crew, and was quickly followed by United and other large airlines, although there is still no government mandate.

Airlines have called for a standard set of safety rules across the airline industry, which is bleeding cash as it battles its biggest crisis.

United is implementing temperature checks for staff, electrostatic spraying and touchless kiosks, among other steps.

Delta Air Lines Inc will continue capping its passenger load at 60% beyond June, sources have told Reuters, and is undertaking other efforts to boost customer confidence.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian told Fox Business Network on Wednesday he expected to add about 200 flights in June, and probably another 200 or 300 flights in July as demand improves.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...res-in-preparation-for-recovery-idUSKBN22W1R1
 
Britain ready to support Rolls-Royce employees over job cuts

Britain's government stands ready to help those affected by a plan at engine maker Rolls-Royce to cut at least 9,000 jobs, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

The spokesman said that although the plan to cut more than a sixth of Rolls-Royce's workforce was distressing news for employees, the government would be ready to help them and would work with Rolls-Royce and other companies on supporting the sector.
 
Domestic air travel in India to resume May 25

Domestic air travel will resume in India on May 25 after a two-month shutdown imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus, the aviation minister said, in a further easing of national lockdown restrictions, according to AFP.

"All airports and air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from May 25," Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Twitter.
 
India is set to resume domestic flights two months after the government imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, the BBC reports.

The flights will start from Monday “in a calibrated manner”, according to the civil aviation minister.

Hardeep Puri said all airports and airlines were being “informed to be ready for operations”.

The “Standard Operations Procedures for movement of passengers will be announced on Thursday”, he said.
 
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.

EasyJet's planes have been grounded since late March when the coronavirus spread across Europe, but the airline said it would restart domestic flights in the UK and France from June 15, before adding other destinations later.
 
The boss of Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow in the UK, has told the BBC that a new thermal screening trial for arriving passengers “could be part of a future common international standard to get people flying again.”

John Holland-Kaye, who heads up Europe’s busiest airport, said the “mismatch of measures” currently in place across different countries was confusing.

He also backed the idea of “air bridges” allowing travel between countries with lower infection levels to help stimulate the tourism industry. He said:

There is no perfect way to make sure only healthy people fly at this stage, so we have to take a risk-based approach.

As the level of transmission comes down in the UK and in other countries, we need to find a way that the vast majority of people who don’t have a disease can still fly.
 
German airline Lufthansa says it is in advanced talks with the government's economic stabilisation fund over a rescue deal worth up to 9 billion euros ($9.9bn), including the state taking a 20-percent stake in the company.

Lufthansa said in a statement on Thursday that the deal would involve the government taking two seats on its supervisory board, but only exercising its voting rights as a whole in exceptional cases such as protection against a takeover.

Lufthansa has been in talks with the government for weeks over aid to help it weather the coronavirus pandemic and what is expected to be a protracted travel slump, but it has been wrangling over how much control to yield in return for support.

Lufthansa said it expected conditions of the deal to include the waiver of future dividend payments and limits on management compensation, adding the package would have to be approved by the European Commission.

The concept includes a 3 billion euro ($3.3bn) loan from state-backed bank KfW and a convertible bond, which can be exchanged for a further 5-percent stake plus one share in the event of a public takeover offer by a third party.

Under German law, a 25-percent-plus-one-share stake would enable the government to block motions at the company's annual general meetings, giving it a veto over major decisions.

Lufthansa said it hoped the deal could be concluded promptly to secure its long-term solvency.

German media had reported late on Wednesday that a deal had been struck and Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expects an agreement on a rescue package soon.

"A decision can be expected shortly," Merkel said, adding that "intensive talks" were ongoing with the company and the European Commission. She declined to go into details, saying: "I would give the advice: Wait for the talks to end."

The airline said on May 7 it was negotiating a 9-billion-euro ($9.9bn) bailout with the German government to ensure its future, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

In a letter to employees, the airline warned that cash reserves continued to shrink while it negotiated the rescue package. Lufthansa's board said it hoped the government would find the "political will" for a deal that would keep the carrier competitive against international airlines.

Cash burn
Lufthansa executives have raised concerns that the terms on offer would hamstring it against international competitors who have received less stringent bailout conditions, a point the management board repeated in the letter. The carrier declined to comment.

Lufthansa is meanwhile running out of time and money, burning through 800 million euros ($877m) each month after the coronavirus grounded most of its fleet. Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr said on May 5 that the company had about 4 billion euros ($4.4bn) in cash remaining.

The letter to employees gave further details of Lufthansa's expected fleet reductions for the coming years. The board said it expected 300 of its aircraft would remain grounded in 2021 as demand for flights recovers slowly, with 200 remaining out of service into 2022.

Lufthansa had previously said it expected its pre-crisis fleet of approximately 760 aircraft to shrink by about 100 once normality returns by roughly 2023, a forecast it stuck to in the letter.

Spohr earlier this month said the airline is in "intense" talks with Airbus SE and Boeing Co about postponing plane deliveries as he set out plans for surviving the coronavirus storm.

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/...fthansa-talks-government-200521060553183.html
 
Heathrow launched a temperature screening trial on Thursday for arrivals in Terminal 2, but the airport's chief executive John Holland-Kaye has called for a "common international standard" to screen passengers on departure rather than arrival.

“Every country going into this crisis came up with their own policy for screening people. But as we come out – and we try to get people flying again – we need some consistency," he told the BBC.

"We’re calling on the UK government to work with other governments like the US and EU to establish a common international standard, so when you’re travelling you’re confident you’ll be accepted into the country you’re going to, and will be kept safe on your journey.

"And I think it’s important that the screen takes place at the airport on departure, rather than at your destination, because you don’t want to run the gauntlet of not knowing if you’ll be quarantined or turned around at your destination.”
 
Australia seeks exemption from UK quarantine rules

Australia is seeking an exemption from a requirement that travellers arriving in the UK quarantine for 14 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The British government is planning a 14-day quarantine for most people arriving in the country in the coming weeks to try to prevent a second peak of the pandemic, with details to be finalised next month.

Heathrow Airport has proposed Britain should set up “travel bubbles” with low-risk countries exempt from the requirement.

“Australia has led the world in the successful containment of Covid-19, which clearly means that travellers coming from Australia would pose a low risk to the rest of the world,” the trade minister, Simon Birmingham said in a statement.

Birmingham said Australia has no plans to open its borders to non-citizens, while all returning locals will still have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.

Australia has recorded just over 7,000 cases, with 101 deaths. The country hopes to reopen the economy fully by July.
 
International travellers could face fines of £1,000 if they fail to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in the UK, the government is expected to announce.

Visitors would be asked to share their contact details under the measures, with health officials performing spot checks to ensure they are complying with the rules.

The policy, which will be introduced early in June, is set to be unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel at the daily Downing Street briefing this afternoon.

Road hauliers and medical officials are going to be exempt from the new restrictions, and the common travel area with Ireland will be unaffected.

Despite London and Paris holding discussions about a possible exemption, it is believed that the quarantine measures will apply to arrivals from France.

In his address to the nation on 10 May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had warned it would soon be time to "impose quarantine on people coming into this country by air" as the UK tries to keep coronavirus transmission rates down.

Speculation of a 14-day self-isolation period sparked an angry response from the already embattled aviation industry, with Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary describing the plan as "idiotic" and "unimplementable" earlier this week.

The trade body Airlines UK had echoed these remarks, warning that mandatory quarantine measures "would effectively kill" international travel to and from the UK.

On Thursday, some airlines had announced tentative plans to start resuming flights.

EasyJet confirmed plans to offer a limited schedule of predominantly domestic flights from the middle of June, with just one international service connecting London Gatwick and the French city of Nice.

Passengers and crew will be required to wear masks in airports and on aircraft, and no food will be sold during the flights.

Ryanair is preparing to restore 40% of its flights from 1 July, while British Airways is due to make a "meaningful return" to service in the same month.

Meanwhile, the government is set to publish the scientific advice underpinning its decision to reopen schools to some children on 1 June.

Classes are set to resume for pupils in nursery, reception, Year 1 and Year 6, with unions pressuring the government to present evidence that shows this is safe.

A final decision on whether to go ahead with reopening schools is expected to be taken by the government on or before May 28 after the most up-to-date scientific evidence has been reviewed.

Some councils - predominantly Labour-run local authorities in the North of England - have ruled out a wider reopening from 1 June.

Yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock shared findings of a study suggesting that at least 5% of people in the UK have now developed COVID-19 antibodies, rising to 17% in London.

He also confirmed that more than 10 million antibody tests are going to be rolled out from next week, and revealed that certificates are being looked at for people who test positive for antibodies.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...00-fine-uk-to-tell-overseas-visitors-11992485
 
About 2,500 jobs have been lost and 64,000 bookings cancelled with the collapse into administration of Specialist Leisure Group.

The hotel and travel company included well-known coach holiday brands Shearings and National Holidays.

Trade organisation Abta said the company, which specialised in products for the over-50s, was "significantly impacted" by the coronavirus pandemic.

One hotel owner predicted its demise would leave "a void in the market".

Abta said the company had struggled to provide thousands of refunds for cancelled trips.

It added that the vast majority of cancelled bookings were coach package holidays, which are financially protected, and customers with these bookings would receive a full refund.

The Specialist Leisure Group, based in Wigan, also operated Caledonian Travel and hotel businesses such as Bay Hotels, Coast and Country Hotels and Country Living Hotels.

'Gutted'
The firm said on its website that all tours, cruises, holidays and hotel breaks had been cancelled and would not be rescheduled, blaming the impact of the pandemic.

Employee Matthew Herbert said he was "gutted" upon hearing the news.

"It'll take a while for this wound to heal. To my colleagues, good luck, stay safe, stay strong," he wrote on Twitter.

Richard Perry, who owns the Silversands Hotel in Blackpool, has worked with National Holidays and Caledonian Travel for 10 years and said they had been "very successful and brought lots of people" to the hotel.

Mr Perry said he was owed £6,500 by National and would have "to look at our business model again as National supplied around 60% of our trade".

He described the group's collapse as "a great shame" and believes there "will be a void now in the market especially for pensioners who can no longer travel abroad".

John de Vial, Abta's director of membership and financial services, said: "Today is a very sad day for these customers and the thousands of staff who will have lost their jobs.

"The fact that two such well-known brands with a loyal customer base have had to call in administrators is a stark indication of the pressure that the holiday industry is under as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Abta has repeatedly highlighted to the government the urgency of the situation and the need to set out a co-ordinated strategy with clearer communication if it wants to help avoid significant job losses and support companies to weather the storm."

Other coach companies sent messages of support.

Runcorn-based Anthony's Travel mourned the loss of a firm said in a tweet Shearings was "long-associated with the golden age of coach travel and UK tourism".

Atol, the government-run financial protection scheme, said it would be contacting the small number of customers with flight-inclusive packages, which would be protected.

Atol spokesman Andrew McConnell said: "This is a particularly sad day for customers and employees of Shearings Holidays Ltd, a long-standing business and well-known UK travel company."
 
UK holiday company Jet2 to restart flights, holidays programme on July 1

Jet2, Britain’s second-biggest holiday company, will restart its flights and holidays programme on July 1, it said in a statement on Friday.

The company, owned by Dart Group Plc (DTG.L), in April cancelled all fights and holidays until mid-June due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has hammered global travel demand.

“In view of the ongoing travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the decision to recommence our flights and holidays programme on July 1st”, Jet2 said.

The company said it was contacting customers who were due to travel before July 1 to discuss their options, one of which is re-booking their holiday to a later date.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...lidays-programme-on-july-1-idUKKBN22Y2OL?il=0
 
Indian states seek delay in restarting flights as coronavirus cases rise

Three large Indian states have sought to delay the planned opening of their airports on Monday as new cases of the coronavirus jumped by a record, complicating the federal government's plan to resume flights after a two-month lockdown.

Airlines are preparing to resume about a third of their domestic flight operations from Monday, even without clarity over which states will allow flights or what quarantine rules may apply to passengers.
 
Air France to halve emissions in bailout deal

Air France has promised to halve its domestic emissions of carbon dioxide in the next four years, in return for state loan guarantees to survive the damage caused by coronavirus.

France has offered the airline a package of loans worth more than $7 billion (£5.7 billion), France's minister for ecological transition said.

Elisabeth Borne told a French public radio station that Air France would have to drastically reduce domestic flights, on routes that you can travel by rail in less than two and a half hours.

Borne also announced a proposed 5 billion euro (£4.4 billion) state loan to Renault. However, the deal has not been signed off yet as the car maker still needs to agree to stop developing production capacity abroad.
 
India domestic flights to resume, but coronavirus cases rise

Domestic flights will resume across India on Monday after a day of "hard negotiations", the federal civil aviation minister has said, after some states sought to limit the number of flights.

Flights will restart under an easing of restrictions imposed over the coronavirus, though the number of new cases rose by a record 24-hour amount on Sunday. The 6,767 new cases took the total to over 131,000.

Airlines are preparing to resume about a third of their domestic flight operations from Monday, even without clarity over what quarantine rules may apply to passengers.
 
India resumes domestic flights as cases rise

After two months, India will resume domestic flights on Monday as the lockdown rules ease - even as cases continue to surge ahead.

The "new normal" also means new rules for flyers - passengers will have to download a government contact-tracing app and will also be subject to thermal screening.

Some states like Assam and Uttar Pradesh have said that passengers will need to be quarantined on arrival.

Others, like Punjab and Karnataka, have announced varying degrees of quarantine, such as a mix between institutional and at-home quarantine. Delhi has said it will not quarantine asymptomatic travellers.

Among those to take the first flights on Monday were paramilitary personnel, students and migrant workers, reported PTI news agency.

The move is expected to bring relief to the country's aviation sector, which has been struggling to stay afloat.

But there is concern over rising cases - with more than 6,000 cases reported on Sunday, India has had nearly 130,000 infections, and 3,867 deaths.
 
Fiji Airways laid off more than half its workforce on Monday, some 758 people, as travel restrictions cut the airline's revenue to "virtually zero".

The remaining staff will have their salaries cut by 20% starting in June, and the airline will extend flight cuts to August.

Fiji Airways depends heavily on the tourism, particularly from neighbouring Australia and New Zealand, but has seen virtually all flights suspended.

"The sad reality of prolonged flight suspensions means that we simply do not have work for a large segment of our workforce now, and for the foreseeable future," airline boss Andre Viljoen said.

The country has only 18 cases of Covid-19, no deaths and no new cases reported in over a month.
 
South Korea to require masks on transit, flights

South Koreans will be required to wear masks when using public transportation and taxis nationwide starting tomorrow as health authorities look for more ways to slow the spread of the virus as people increase their public activities, according to AP.

Health ministry official Yoon Taeho said masks also will be enforced on all domestic and international flights from Wednesday.

From June, owners of high-risk facilities such as bars, clubs, gyms, karaoke rooms and concert halls will be required to use smartphone QR codes to register customers so they could be tracked down more easily when infections occur.

"Until treatments and vaccines are developed, we will never know when the Covid-19 crisis could end, and until then we will have to learn how to live with [it]," Yoon said.
 
someone flew from Oman to US (NY)- were served no food by air-hostesses due to covid restrictions! Thats like a 9+ hours flight I think.
 
Long queues and chaos greeted passengers at Indian airports as flights resumed after a two-month lockdown.

Local media said almost 100 flights were cancelled, although many more took off as scheduled.

Maharashtra state which has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in India ,said it would only allow only 50 flights a day, leading to several cancellations.

Angry passengers say they were not informed ahead of time.

"Our flight was cancelled and there is no-one to answer us at the help desk. We don't know what to do now," a passenger in the southern city of Chennai told the ANI news agency.

He says he and his family have been in the city since 15 March, and finally booked tickets to fly back to their home to Mumbai city (the capital of Maharashtra state) but found out about the cancellation only after arriving at the airport.

Several fliers also took to Twitter to complain that Air India, the national carrier, had not informed them of cancellations, and had mixed up departure schedules.

Others say they only learned of cancellations after already waiting hours in long queues to enter the airport.

India has stepped up preventive measures ahead of resuming domestic flights.

Security officers are checking every passenger's temperature and verifying that they have downloaded the government's Covid-19 tracking app, Aarogya Setu. Other measures include disinfecting shoes and luggage.

India has recorded more than 138,000 cases of Covid-19 so far.

But the country has also begun easing restrictions on the nationwide lockdown that was imposed on 25 March. All passenger trains and flights were suspended, and most businesses were asked to close or operate only with staff working from home.

Only those that were classified as essential - healthcare, food supply, government services and media - were allowed to run during the lockdown. But now, many of these restrictions have been lifted in areas that are not deemed hotspots.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52795577
 
Germany’s flagship airline Lufthansa has agreed to a multi-billion-euro aid deal with the country’s government, as the company seeks to shore up its finances amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports say.

The agreement is expected to be approved on Monday by the government at a meeting of a committee tasked with managing the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Lufthansa's supervisory board is also due to meet to discuss the rescue package, believed to be worth around nine billion euros ($9.8bn; £8bn), AFP news agency reports.

Once approved, the deal will need to be signed off by the airline’s shareholders and the competition regulator, the European Commission.

Many of the world’s major airlines are experiencing financial woes during the pandemic, as travel restrictions place substantial curbs on travel.
 
Latin America’s largest airline has filed bankruptcy protection in New York after the coronavirus pandemic grounded flights across the region.

The move allows Latam Airlines Group to keep operating while it works out a plan to pay creditors and turn around the business.

The Chilean carrier said it continues to operate on a reduced schedule and has commitments for a loan of up to $900m (£736m).

Earlier this month Colombia's largest airline Avianca filed for bankruptcy, dragged down by a sharp drop in customers and large debts.
 
Lufthansa supervisory board postpones approval of bailout package

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Lufthansa’s (LHAG.DE) supervisory board postponed approval of a 9 billion euro ($9.90 billion) bailout in light of conditions imposed by the European Union, the German airline group said on Wednesday.

Lufthansa’s supervisory board had been expected to meet Wednesday to sign off on the rescue deal, but the European Commission has asked Lufthansa to waive landing rights for six out of 300 slots at Frankfurt and Munich airports, where Lufthansa has a two-thirds market share.

Lufthansa said the demand would “lead to a weakening” of the hub function at its home airports.

“The resulting economic impact on the company and on the planned repayment of the stabilisation measures, as well as possible alternative scenarios, must be analysed intensively,” Lufthansa said.

The supervisory board nevertheless continues to regard the bailout plan “as the only viable alternative for maintaining solvency”, Lufthansa said.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...pproval-of-bailout-package-idUKKBN2331YQ?il=0
 
Air France to cut 40pc of domestic flights after bailout

Air France-KLM will slash 40 per cent of its French domestic flights by next year in exchange for receiving seven billion euros ($7.7 billion) in emergency coronavirus funding backed by the French state, the company's chief executive said.

“Capacity will be reduced by 40pc between now and 2021, with some destinations dropped,” Benjamin Smith told shareholders at the airline's annual general meeting in Paris.

Smith said Air France would stop flights between cities where trains could provide a connection in less than two-and-a-half hours, or if the service did not contribute to an increase in traffic at its Paris hub, Charles de Gaulle airport.
 
Britain's easyJet to axe up to 30 percent of its workforce

British low cost airline easyJet said it plans to slash up to 30 percent of its staff and shrink its fleet, to fit the smaller market it expects to emerge from the collapse in air travel due to the pandemic.

EasyJet said it would launch a consultation process with its staff in the coming days, joining many of its airline peers in announcing job cuts.
 
Kuwait Airways to lay off 25 percent of staff due to virus: Source

State-owned Kuwait Airways is planning to lay off 1,500 employees - 25 percent of its workforce - due to the pandemic's impact on its business, a source has said.

The airline will lay off foreign staff only, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas reported, citing a source at the company.

Kuwaitis, those married to Kuwaitis and those who hold citizenship of other Gulf Arab states will not be affected by the job cuts, the newspaper said.
 
MenInG said:
Britain's easyJet to axe up to 30 percent of its workforce

British low cost airline easyJet said it plans to slash up to 30 percent of its staff and shrink its fleet, to fit the smaller market it expects to emerge from the collapse in air travel due to the pandemic.

EasyJet said it would launch a consultation process with its staff in the coming days, joining many of its airline peers in announcing job cuts.
Click to expand...

EasyJet plans up to 4,500 job cuts

EasyJet has said it will cut up to 30% of its workforce - about 4,500 jobs - as it struggles with a collapse in air travel caused by the virus pandemic.

The airline did not say exactly how many jobs would go, but it employed 15,000 people at the start of 2020.

Pilots' union Balpa reacted angrily, describing the move as an "ill-considered knee-jerk reaction".

EasyJet, which has big operations at Gatwick and Luton airports, confirmed it would restart flights on 15 June.

However, it said that levels of market demand seen in 2019 were not likely to be reached again until 2023.

It added that in the coming days, it would launch an employee consultation process on the planned job cuts.

It grounded its entire fleet in March as global travel came to a near-halt.

'Difficult decisions'

"To effect the restructure of our business, EasyJet will shortly launch an employee consultation process on proposals to reduce staff numbers by up to 30%, reflecting the reduced fleet, the optimisation of our network and bases, improved productivity as well as the promotion of more efficient ways of working," the firm said.

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: "We realise that these are very difficult times and we are having to consider very difficult decisions which will impact our people, but we want to protect as many jobs as we can for the long-term.

He said the airline was planning to reduce the size of its fleet and would continue to cut costs.

"We want to ensure that we emerge from the pandemic an even more competitive business than before, so that easyJet can thrive in the future."

Other airlines have already announced job cuts and restructuring programmes as they fight to stay in business. These include:

- British Airways, which is set to cut up to 12,000 jobs from its 42,000-strong workforce

- Ryanair, which is set to cut 3,000 jobs - 15% of its workforce - with boss Michael O'Leary saying the move is "the minimum that we need just to survive the next 12 months"

- Virgin Atlantic, which has announced it is to cut more than 3,000 jobs in the UK out of a total of 10,000 and end its operation at Gatwick airport.

The travel industry's hopes of reopening for business as global lockdowns ease have been dealt a blow by the UK government's plan to introduce a 14-day quarantine for all arrivals.

From 8 June, people entering the UK from abroad, including returning holidaymakers, will be told to isolate for 14 days or face a £1,000 fine.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, hotels and holiday firms said the policy would reduce visitor numbers and could make it harder for Britons to travel abroad.

Meanwhile, tour operator Tui has said all its holidays for UK customers will now be suspended until at least the end of June. It had previously cancelled all trips up to 11 June.

It has also suspended its Marella Cruises sailings until 30 July.

Rival tour operator Jet2holidays has also suspended its holidays until 30 June.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to advise against all but essential international travel.

'Kick in the teeth'

"EasyJet staff will be shocked at the scale of this announcement and only two days ago, staff got a 'good news' message from their boss with no mention of job losses, so this is a real kick in the teeth," said Brian Strutton of Balpa.

"Those staff have taken pay cuts to keep the airline afloat and this is the treatment they get in return. EasyJet has not discussed its plans with Balpa, so we will wait and see what impact there will be in the UK," he added.

"EasyJet's own projections, though on the pessimistic side, point to recovery by 2023, so this is a temporary problem that doesn't need this ill-considered knee-jerk reaction."

Lindsey Olliver, the EasyJet officer for the Unite union, said the airline had made "an unnecessarily hasty decision".

She added: "The workforce is currently furloughed under the government's job retention scheme and the airline will continue to receive support until at least October.

"It has also received a government-backed loan of £600m and has committed to expenditure on new aircraft."

She said Unite did not know where the job losses were planned and would be seeking "clarification" from the company.

EasyJet reaffirmed that it would be introducing security measures to protect against the spread of coronavirus when it resumes flights.

These include requiring passengers and crew to wear masks and not offering on-board meals.

The airline said it would release half-year results, covering the six months to the end of March, on 30 June.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52830665
 
American airlines to cut 30 percent of management staff

American Airlines will cut 30 percent of its management and support staff in its latest belt-tightening move during the prolonged COVID-19 downturn, the company has disclosed.

The big US carrier outlined a series of measures to reduce headcount throughout its operations in an email to staff that was released in a securities filing Thursday.

American currently has a team of 17,000 people in management and support, meaning the actions planned will cut about 5,100 jobs.

The move follows statements from United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other carriers that have signaled deep job cuts due to sinking air travel demand from coronavirus shutdowns.
 
U.S. major airlines roll out more options to avoid staff layoffs

The top three U.S. airlines, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, are rolling out fresh programs to induce tens of thousands of employees to accept voluntary leave or early retirement in the hope of avoiding widespread furloughs in the fall, company memos show.

Around 100,000 employees of American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) and United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL.O) have already accepted offers for temporary or permanent leaves, the companies have said.

Airlines continue to reduce their workforces in an effort to align their businesses with the sharp downfall in air travel. But they are also trying to keep enough workers, particularly pilots whose training is costly and lengthy, to service any recovery.

If airlines furlough too many workers, “the bounce-back is almost impossible,” United Chief Executive Scott Kirby said at a conference on Thursday.

United is in talks with its labor unions on voluntary options that Kirby said are focused more on the bounce-back than on “survivability.”

Airlines have said cancellations are slowing and bookings are improving, though their flying schedules are still just about 20% of what they would normally be.

Delta, with around 91,000 employees, announced on Thursday details of an enhanced retirement package for long-term employees and a separate voluntary opt-out package. Both include cash severance, full healthcare coverage and travel benefits, a memo dated May 27 showed.

In a video seen by Reuters, the company said it is offering between four and 20 weeks of severance along with 12 months of health care and travel benefits for the voluntary opt-out. Delta is offering up to 26 weeks of severance for enhanced retirement packages and retiree medical accounts of more than $100,000 (81,083.3 pounds).

“Every voluntary departure helps to protect the jobs of those who most need them,” CEO Ed Bastian said in the memo to employees. He added: “I can’t emphasize enough how challenging the environment is, and will be for the foreseeable future.”

Delta says most retirements will take place Aug. 1.

U.S. airlines cannot force any job or pay rate cuts until Oct. 1 under the terms of the federal CARES Act, which provides billions of dollars to help cover their payroll expenses until Sept. 30.

After that date, airlines have warned of involuntary reductions if overall workforces are still larger than needed.

American Airlines, with more than 100,000 employees, told its management and support staff on Wednesday that it must cut about 30% of their ranks, the same size of reductions planned by United for its management and administrative employees.

“We must plan for operating a smaller airline for the foreseeable future,” American’s Elise Eberwein told employees Wednesday in an email.

American is also discussing voluntary options with unions representing pilots and flight attendants, and Delta with its pilots’ union. Delta’s flight attendants are not unionized.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...ons-to-avoid-staff-layoffs-idUKKBN2342X8?il=0
 
China to extend curbs on international flights until June 30: US embassy

Chinese civil aviation authorities plan to extend until June 30 their curbs on international flights imposed to restrain the spread of the coronavirus, the United States embassy in Beijing said in a travel advisory.

China has drastically cut such flights since March to allay concerns over infections brought by arriving passengers. A so-called "Five One" policy allows mainland carriers to fly just one flight a week on one route to any country and foreign airlines to operate just one flight a week to China.
 
Outbound international flight operations to resume tomorrow: PCAA

ISLAMABAD: Outbound international flight operations are set to resume tomorrow (Saturday), the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said Friday a couple of weeks after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced an ease in the coronavirus lockdown, with the exception of Gwadar and Turbat airports.

In a notice to airpersons (NOTAM), the PCAA said the development to allow foreign ferry flights (non-passenger planes) was "as per the decision taken by the government of Pakistan".

"All national and foreign carriers are permitted to start scheduled/non-scheduled and charter operations for outbound passengers only, with effect from May 29, 2020, 1900 UTC [12am local time, Saturday] from all international airports except Gwadar and Turbat airports," the notice added.

It mentioned that foreign airlines would be able to take off from Pakistan's airports with passengers.

"The restrictions on inbound passenger operations into Pakistan shall continue. However, special permission is required from government of Pakistan by national foreign carriers and charter operators for flights with inbound passengers on case-to-case basis.

"Additionally diplomatic, special, and cargo flights to/from Pakistan shall also be permitted. All airlines shall adhere to the standard operating procedures [SOPs] for international passenger and charter flights," it added.

The notice also emphasised that the crew of foreign planes landing at Pakistani airports would not be allowed to disembark.

The move comes less than 10 days after Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-8303 crashed in Karachi's densely-populated neighbourhood of Model Colony, leaving all but two people aboard dead.

Domestic flight operations had resumed in Pakistan from five major airports on May 16, as the country continued to gradually ease lockdown measures.

A PIA spokesperson had said the SOPs were strictly being observed to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. It was made mandatory for the passengers to wear masks and use hand sanitisers, they said, adding: "The airline is operating flights as part of its national duty."

In a video statement, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had said 20% of domestic flights would resume from Saturday but in a limited capacity. The announcement came following a final decision taken by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC).

The five major airports allowed to restart operations included Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport, Islamabad International Airport (IIAP), Quetta International Airport, and Peshawar's Bacha Khan International Airport.

Sarwar had said social distancing would be followed based on available seats and flights would only be allowed to fill 50% of their full capacity. "Passengers will be provided the opportunity to travel safely," he had added.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/290407-outbound-international-flight-operations-to-resume-tomorrow-pcaa
 
ISLAMABAD: Domestic flight operations were to be bumped up "from previous 20-22% to 40-45%" of the pre-coronavirus times, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said Friday, hours after announcing that outbound international flight operations were to resume at midnight tonight.

"Decision has been taken due to growing business & public demand for air travel and smart lockdown being observed by the federal & provincial governments," the PCAA said on Twitter, adding that it was also the result of "people confidence due to best possible health precautions".

"The enhanced operation shall start from 1st June onwards and shall cover Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta," it added.

Earlier in the day, the flights regulatory authority had announced that outbound international flight operations were set to resume tonight at 11:59pm at all airports with the exception of Gwadar and Turbat.

The development comes a couple of weeks after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced an ease in the coronavirus lockdown.

Foreign airlines can take off from Pakistan's airports

In a notice to airpersons (NOTAM), the PCAA said the development to allow foreign ferry flights (non-passenger planes) was "as per the decision taken by the government of Pakistan".

"All national and foreign carriers are permitted to start scheduled/non-scheduled and charter operations for outbound passengers only, with effect from May 29, 2020, 1900 UTC [12am local time, Saturday] from all international airports except Gwadar and Turbat airports," the notice added.

It mentioned that foreign airlines would be able to take off from Pakistan's airports with passengers.

"The restrictions on inbound passenger operations into Pakistan shall continue. However, special permission is required from government of Pakistan by national foreign carriers and charter operators for flights with inbound passengers on case-to-case basis.

Read more: Cockpit voice recorder of ill-fated PIA plane recovered from Karachi crash site

"Additionally diplomatic, special, and cargo flights to/from Pakistan shall also be permitted. All airlines shall adhere to the standard operating procedures [SOPs] for international passenger and charter flights," it added.

The notice also emphasised that the crew of foreign planes landing at Pakistani airports would not be allowed to disembark.

The move comes less than 10 days after Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-8303 crashed in Karachi's densely-populated neighbourhood of Model Colony, leaving all but two people aboard dead.

Masks, hand sanitisers mandatory

Domestic flight operations had resumed in Pakistan from five major airports on May 16, as the country continued to gradually ease lockdown measures.

A PIA spokesperson had said the SOPs were strictly being observed to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. It was made mandatory for the passengers to wear masks and use hand sanitisers, they said, adding: "The airline is operating flights as part of its national duty."

Also read: Limited domestic flight operations resume as coronavirus lockdown eases

In a video statement, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had said 20% of domestic flights would resume from Saturday but in a limited capacity. The announcement came following a final decision taken by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC).

'Opportunity to travel safely'

The five major airports allowed to restart operations included Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport, Islamabad International Airport (IIAP), Quetta International Airport, and Peshawar's Bacha Khan International Airport.

Sarwar had said social distancing would be followed based on available seats and flights would only be allowed to fill 50% of their full capacity. "Passengers will be provided the opportunity to travel safely," he had added.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/290407-outbound-international-flight-operations-to-resume-tomorrow-pcaa
 
The top three United States airlines, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, are rolling out fresh programmes to induce tens of thousands of employees to accept voluntary leave or early retirement in the hope of avoiding widespread furloughs in the fall, company memos show.

Around 100,000 employees of American Airlines Group Inc, Delta Air Lines Inc and United Airlines Holdings Inc have already accepted offers for temporary or permanent leaves, the companies have said.

Airlines continue to reduce their workforces to align their businesses with the sharp downfall in air travel. But they are also trying to keep enough workers, particularly pilots whose training is costly and lengthy, to service any recovery.

If airlines furlough too many workers, "the bounce-back is almost impossible," United Chief Executive Scott Kirby said at a conference on Thursday.

United is in talks with its labour unions on voluntary options that Kirby said are focused more on the bounce-back than on "survivability."

Airlines have said cancellations are slowing and bookings are improving, though their flying schedules are still just about 20 percent of what they would normally be.

Delta, with around 91,000 employees, announced on Thursday the details of an enhanced retirement package for long-term employees and a separate voluntary opt-out package. Both include cash severance, full healthcare coverage and travel benefits, a memo dated May 27 showed.

In a video seen by Reuters, the company said it is offering between four and 20 weeks of severance along with 12 months of healthcare and travel benefits for the voluntary opt-out. Delta is offering up to 26 weeks of severance for enhanced retirement packages and retiree medical accounts of more than $100,000.

"Every voluntary departure helps to protect the jobs of those who most need them," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in the memo to employees. He added: "I can't emphasize enough how challenging the environment is, and will be for the foreseeable future."

Delta says most retirements will take place August 1.

US airlines cannot force any job or pay rate cuts until October 1 under the terms of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provides billions of dollars to help cover their payroll expenses until September 30.

After that date, airlines have warned of involuntary reductions if overall workforces are still larger than needed.

American Airlines, with more than 100,000 employees, told its management and support staff on Wednesday that it must cut about 30 percent of their ranks, the same size of reductions planned by United for its management and administrative employees.

"We must plan for operating a smaller airline for the foreseeable future," American Airlines Executive Vice President Elise Eberwein told employees Wednesday in an email.

American is also discussing voluntary options with unions representing pilots and flight attendants, and Delta with its pilots' union. Delta's flight attendants are not unionised.

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/...ions-avoid-staff-layoffs-200528223055275.html
 
Singapore to resume flights to 6 cities in China

A "fast lane" for business and "essential" travel between Singapore and China will open next week, allowing some flights to resume between the two countries after a four-month hiatus.

Singapore's foreign ministry said travel will initially resume between Singapore and six Chinese cities and regions, including Shanghai and Guangdong.

The ministry said Singapore believes "the prevention and control of COVID-19 and the economic and social recovery" in both to have "entered a new phase".
 
SAPM Yusuf clarifies only outbound international flights allowed to resume
Adviser to the premier Moeed Yusuf has clarified that the government has only allowed outbound international flight operations to resume.

Moeed Yusuf addresses the media. — DawnNewsTV
He said that he saw some media reports that the government had allowed both inbound as well as outbound flight operations to resume, which he said were false.

"We analysed whether Covid will spread if we let outbound flights come in. The answer is no, because their crews won't come here. We also realised that the Civil Aviation Authority was suffering financially. It needs air traffic to sustain itself," he said while explaining why the government took
 
Air India’s Moscow-bound plane called back as team finds pilot is Covid-19 +ve

An Air India’s Delhi-Moscow Airbus A-320 Neo (VT-EXR) flight was forced to return midway after ground team realised that the pilot was coronavirus positive.

Officials said there was an error in the pre-flight test report, which was read as negative initially. The pilot reportedly took ill during the flight and was called back.

“When the A320 plane, which did not have any passengers as it was heading to Moscow to bring back stranded Indians under Vande Bharat Mission, had reached Uzbekistan’s airspace, our team on ground realised that one of the pilots had tested Covid-19 positive,” a senior Air India official was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.

“The flight was immediately asked to return. It came back to Delhi at around 12.30 pm on Saturday,” the official added.

The crew has been quarantined. Another plane would be sent to Moscow to bring back the stranded Indians, according to the officials.

https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-...tive-report/story-m436NV0AkR1rijRxRLjnoI.html
 
Malta to reopen airport on July 1

Malta will reopen its airport to passenger flights on July 1, Prime Minister Robert Abela said, as the Mediterranean island rolls back restrictions introduced in March to halt COVID-19 infections.

Tourism accounts for almost a quarter of Malta's economy and hoteliers have been pressing the government to reopen the airport or risk mass unemployment.

The southern Mediterranean island has recorded some 600 coronavirus cases and nine deaths, having carried out an intensive testing and contact tracing programme. Non-essential shops and restaurants were allowed to reopen in mid-May, but churches on the Roman Catholic island and schools remain closed. Bars and gyms will reopen next Friday.
 
Emirates becomes latest airline to announce job cuts

The airline Emirates has said that it will have to carry out job cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company has not given any details about the number of staff or roles likely to be affected.

"We reviewed all possible scenarios in order to sustain our business operations, but have come to the conclusion that we unfortunately have to say goodbye to a few of the wonderful people that worked with us," a spokesman was quoted as saying.

The state-owned airline, which is based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, employs almost 60,000 people.

Thousands of jobs could go if Emirates follows the lead of other major airlines. British Airways says it will cut up to 12,000 jobs because of the pandemic, while budget carrier EasyJet could cut up to 30% of its workforce - 4,500 jobs - due to the collapse in air travel.
 
The aviation regulator DGCA on Monday urged airlines to try and keep the middle seats vacant. In case it cannot be done, it added, the passengers should be provided with “wrap-around gowns”.

Social distancing is a big part in the battle against coronavirus.

“Attempts should be made to keep the middle seat empty to the extent possible... If the middle seat is occupied due to high load, the flyer should be provided with a ‘wrap-around gowns’,” said the DGCA.

India resumed domestic flight operations from May 25, kickstarting a gradual reboot of air travel that was halted two months ago on account of a lockdown imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The government has capped the air fares for three months (till August). Soon after, possibly as a trade off, the DGCA withdrew its earlier circular on keeping the middle seat vacant on every flight.

The latest move by the regulator seems like an attempt to balance the interests of the airlines and also to protect the fliers.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had also questioned the logic behind allowing bookings for the middle seats on Air India’s non-scheduled relief and rescue flights on international routes.

“How can you say it will not affect anyone? Outside (aircraft), there should be a social distancing of at least 6 feet. Will the Virus know it is in the aircraft and is not supposed to infect?,” the court questioned.

However, it allowed Air India to book middle seats till June 6.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast on Sunday, warned people against letting their guard down while noting that a big part of the economy has opened and train and flight services have begun operating partially with more relaxations on the anvil.

After such “austere penance and after so many hardships”, the country’s deft handling of the situation should “not go in vain”, he said.

Modi said, “Whether it is the mandatory ‘do gaz ki doori’ (two yards of distancing), wearing face masks or staying at home to the best extent possible, there should be no laxity on our part in complete adherence to the laid down norms.

“We must not let this fight weaken. Becoming careless or lackadaisical cannot be an option. The fight against coronavirus is still equally serious. You, your family, may still face grave danger from coronavirus,” he cautioned.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...to-airlines/story-Kz5kiXFUsUFNojszkuQ0vK.html
 
Turkey resumes domestic flights, opens Grand Bazaar

Flights and car travel resumed between Turkey's big cities while cafes, restaurants and Istanbul's Grand Bazaar reopened in the country's biggest step to ease restrictions taken to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The first passenger plane took off from Istanbul for the capital, Ankara. There were a total of 156 passengers on the Turkish Airlines plane, state news agency Anadolu reported.
 
Emirates could take four years to resume flying to entire network

Emirates' outgoing President Tim Clark says it could take the state carrier up to four years to resume flying to its entire network that has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Dubai-based airline, which flew to 157 destinations in 83 countries before the pandemic, grounded passenger flights in March and has since operated few, limited services.

“I think probably by the year 2022-23, 2023-24 we will see things coming back to some degree of normality and Emirates will be operating its network as it was and hopefully as successfully as it was,” Clark said in a webcast interview with aviation consultant John Strickland.
 
Air passengers should have restricted access to toilets on flights as part of wide-ranging coronavirus safety recommendations, a UN agency has said.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines also include limiting or suspending food and drink services on short-haul flights.

The new guidelines are designed to protect air passengers and workers from the Covid-19 virus as lockdown eases.

Airlines could see revenues plunge £314bn in 2020, the ICAO added.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/6XSZgaYfD6">pic.twitter.com/6XSZgaYfD6</a></p>— PIA (@Official_PIA) <a href="https://twitter.com/Official_PIA/status/1267545373666676739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Emirates and Qatar Airways announce resumption of flights from Pakistan - right now international travel is allowed only on outgoing flights
 
Air bridges between Britain and some countries with low infection rates could be in place by the end of the month enabling people to travel without having to spend two weeks self-isolating on their return.

Current plans mean all international arrivals - apart from people carrying out a limited number of specified roles - would need to quarantine for 14 days from Monday.

The plan has been criticised by travel and hospitality businesses, and ministers are understood to be considering introducing air bridges when the policy is reviewed three weeks after it comes into force.

Agreements would need to be reached with other countries before any policy could be introduced.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the prime minister is "personally in favour" of the idea.

Further details of the quarantine proposal are expected to be laid before parliament later.

Housing minister Simon Clarke would not "speculate" on suggestions some destinations could be exempt from the quarantine rules.

"We all want to be able to get foreign holidays back on the table as soon as it's safe to do so, but I can't speculate on policy questions of that nature," he told Sky News' Kay Burley @ Breakfast show.

"The policy is clear: a two-week quarantine effective as of Monday 8 June."

Defending the quarantine proposals, Mr Clarke added: "We've got case numbers coming down substantially now in the UK and we don't want to import new risk, new cases from abroad at this very sensitive and delicate stage."

But he stressed the government doesn't want the measures to "be in place longer than is necessary".

"We will be reviewing it on a three-weekly basis and hopefully we can transition out of it as quickly as possible as the numbers continue to come down," Mr Clarke said.

"But I think many of the public want to know we're taking robust action to stop new cases coming into the UK after all the sacrifices they've mades since March."

It comes as MPs return to Westminster after the government dropped virtual proceedings, despite concerns that shielding politicians will be unable to attend.

The government has tabled a motion preventing the resumption of virtual voting that allowed MPs to have their say from afar during the pandemic, but opposition parties are seeking to retain it.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the contact-tracing system was "up and running" and was "successful" following reports of problems with technology and staff saying they were being paid up to £27.75 per hour for doing nothing.
 
Lufthansa announces first-quarter loss of €2.1bn

Lufthansa has announced it will undergo “far-reaching” restructuring as it posted a first-quarter net loss of €2.1bn (£1.9bn/$2.3bn) today, hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, reports AFP.

“Global air traffic has come to a virtual standstill in recent months. This has impacted our quarterly results to an unprecedented extent. In view of the very slow recovery in demand, we must now take far-reaching restructuring measures to counteract this,” chief executive Carsten Spohr said in a statement.

On top of the collapse in passenger numbers, depreciation of some company assets sapped the bottom line. Falling fuel prices meanwhile cost the airline €950m because it had hedged its purchases with much higher priced contracts.
 
Air Arabia lays off more staff due to COVID-19 impact

Air Arabia, the only listed carrier in the United Arab Emirates, has made further job cuts due to the business impact of COVID-19, a spokesman has said.

The Sharjah-based airline, which has about 2,000 employees, did not say how many employees had been affected. It laid off 57 employees in May.

The latest job cuts were a "last alternative" after the airline took a series of steps in past months to protect jobs, the spokesman said, without elaborating.
 
The US is to ban passenger flights from China from 16 June, in the latest sign of tensions between the two economic giants.

The Department of Transportation said it was punishing Beijing for refusing to let US flights to China resume following the coronavirus outbreak.

In recent weeks the countries have sparred over the pandemic and China's policies in Hong Kong.

But Washington said it would continue to "engage" on the air travel issue.

The Department of Transportation order applies to four airlines - Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

It needs final approval from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused China of engaging in unfair trade, and in recent weeks criticised its handling of coronavirus and protests in Hong Kong.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. Beijing had previously said it opposed any new air travel restrictions.

'Fair and equal opportunity'
In announcing the ban, the US said it had raised repeated concerns since March, when China restricted international flight arrivals to battle coronavirus.

Beijing had told domestic and foreign airlines to operate no more than one weekly flight between China and any given country, adding that carriers could not exceed capacity they were offering on 12 March.

The Department of Transportation said the order had effectively stopped US airlines from flying to China. Many voluntarily suspended services between the two countries in February due to the pandemic and Mr Trump's 31 January order barring entry to the US for most Chinese travellers.

The US said China has thus far maintained its restrictions were fair, since they applied to all airlines.

"We conclude that these circumstances require the Department's action to restore a competitive balance and fair and equal opportunity among US and Chinese air carriers," the Department of Transportation said.

"Our overriding goal is not the perpetuation of this situation but rather an improved environment."

Delta Airlines, one of the companies that had sought to resume flights this month, said it welcomed the move.

"We support and appreciate the US government's actions to enforce our rights and ensure fairness," it said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52912517
 
China to lift restrictions on foreign airlines

China has said it would allow foreign airlines currently blocked from operating in the country over coronavirus concerns to resume limited flights, lifting a de facto ban on US carriers.

The move by China's civil aviation authority comes after Washington ordered the suspension of all flights by Chinese airlines into and out of the US from June 16 in retaliation against Beijing's restrictions on American and foreign carriers.
 
British Airways (BA) has told staff its parent firm is burning through £178m of cash a week and the airline does not have "an absolute right to exist" as a row with unions intensifies.

In a letter to staff seen by Sky News, BA chief executive Alex Cruz rounds on the GMB and Unite unions, calling a campaign to take Heathrow landing slots away from BA "bizarre" and a threat to jobs.

He criticises the government for damaging the industry though the introduction of a 14-day quarantine period from Tuesday as the coronavirus pandemic eases.

In an interview with Sky News, the airline's chief executive Alex Cruz said the action was an "own goal" and part of a "cynical" action by the union.

The letter to staff, sent after the Home Secretary unveiled the plans yesterday afternoon, says "the government has dealt another blow to our industry with the introduction of a travel quarantine for those arriving into the UK".

"Despite our best efforts the amount of flying we will be doing this summer will be limited and fiercely competed."

Mr Cruz saves his strongest criticism for unions though - rounding on the GMB and Unite over a refusal to attend talks in the wake of the airline's decision to cut 12,000 jobs.

"I want to save as many jobs as possible. BA does not have an absolute right to exist. There are major competitors poised and ready to take our business.

"So, it is really concerning to me that GMB and Unite refuse point blank to join any discussions about mitigating proposed redundancies and the impact of this dreadful virus.

"Bizarrely, the unions are now campaigning to have Heathrow slots taken away from British Airways. I don't need to tell you that every slot lost will lead to jobs in BA being permanently lost."

Unions are furious over the planned job losses - around a quarter of BA's workforce - imposed following the devastating impact of travel restrictions on the sector.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has called the move '"unlawful and immoral" following the company's use of the government's Job Retention Scheme.

He has called on the government to review British Airways's Heathrow take-off and landing slots, which are highly prized and crucial to BA's reliance on lucrative trans-Atlantic business travel.

BA says it is in talks with pilots union BALPA but Unite and the GMB, which represent cabin crew and other workers like engineers, have so far refused to engage.

But the Unite union says it is the company's plans to issue widespread redundancy notices and rehire staff on reduced terms that has driven its snub.

Mr McCluskey said "BA is using this health crisis as cover to impose a long-term plan to slash jobs, pay and conditions.

"No other employer has threatened to effectively 'fire and rehire' its workforce. There should be a government review of British Airways's domination of UK landing slots amid the airline's betrayal of its workers and the British public."

The BA letter to staff defends the company from widespread criticism - including from MPs and unions - that BA should be using cash reserves built up from parent company IAG's highly profitable recent years of operation before cutting jobs:

"Some people point to IAG's cash reserves as the answer, suggesting we have enough cash to sit this out. The fact is, with almost no revenue coming into the business, IAG's operating cash burn totals £178m every week," it said.

"Others point to the support we have from the UK government's Job Retention Scheme. It is very welcome but totals less than two days of cash burn per month as we continue to pay 80% of furloughed colleagues' base pay without a cap.

"We are having to take on hundreds of millions of pounds in new debt, much of which must be repaid over a short term, so any revenues we make when we return to flying will be swallowed up by loan repayments."

Mr Cruz ends the letter with a downbeat assessment of the future for the company and the sector, admitting that British Airways will be a smaller company for the foreseeable future.

He wrote: "Demand for flying in the coming years will be nothing like it has been.

"There will be fewer customers, flying to fewer destinations. That is the commercial reality. We anticipate the BA of tomorrow will be a smaller company, and one that needs to be even more efficient as it fights for every customer it carries against our competitors.

"Our company's business is international flying and that is not returning quickly."

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-british-airways-burning-178m-of-cash-a-week-12000240
 
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary told the BBC "European science" says "it’s perfectly safe to fly" if everyone wore a face mask. He's said before that this would cut transmission rates by 98.5%, but an expert told us there was "no valid data" behind the claim
 
Turkey ready to resume international flights

Turkey plans to resume flights to 40 countries this month - and has reached provisional reciprocal agreements with 15 countries.

Germany, Switzerland, South Korea and Qatar are among the destinations for flights starting this month.

Turkey, which resumed domestic flights on 1 June, is talking to 92 countries in total about international travel.
 
Virgin Atlantic says to restart some flights on July 20

Virgin Atlantic said it would restart some flights that have been grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic on July 20 and aimed to restore further services in August.

The airline said that services to Orlando and Hong Kong from London Heathrow would resume on July 20, with flights to New York JFK, Los Angeles, and Shanghai set to restart on July 21.
 
Emirates, Etihad to resume transit flights after UAE lifts suspension

Emirates and Etihad Airways will resume some transit flights after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted a suspension on services where passengers stop off in the country to change planes, or for refuelling.

Dubai's Emirates, one of the world's biggest long-haul airlines, said on Thursday it would operate transit flights to 29 destinations in Asia, Europe and North America by June 15.

It will also offer flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad for travellers who wish to connect onwards to other Emirates destinations from June 8, the carrier said in a press statement.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad, meanwhile, said it would carry transit passengers to 20 cities in Europe, Asia and Australia from June 10.

The suspension was lifted late on Wednesday for UAE carriers, more than two months after the Gulf Arab state halted all passenger flights in March as it introduced drastic measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

It has since allowed a few, limited flights, while domestic restrictions such as the closure of shopping centres have been lifted.

Foreign citizens remain banned from entering the Gulf Arab state except those holding UAE residency, who require UAE government approval before returning.

Turkey plans to resume flights with 40 countries
Meanwhile, Turkey plans to resume flights with around 40 countries in June and has reached preliminary agreements for reciprocal air travel with 15 countries, Transport Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said on Thursday.

Turkey largely sealed off its borders as part of measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Domestic flights resumed on Monday to some provinces as Ankara eased restrictions after a significant drop in infection rates.

Karaismailoglu said flights would resume in five stages in June, adding Turkey was in talks with 92 countries on resuming flights in a safe manner.

“We believe that we have left behind an important point in the battle against the virus globally. Now, we have to continue our global ties and trade,” he said in a written statement.

Flights to Northern Cyprus, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Qatar and Greece will resume on June 10, he said. Flights to 17 destinations, including Germany, Austria, Croatia, and Singapore will restart on June 15. Flights to a further 16 countries will begin on June 20, 22 and 25, including to South Korea, Qatar, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium, he added.

The 15 countries with which Ankara has reached a preliminary agreement to resume reciprocal flights include Italy, Sudan, the UAE, Albania, Belarus, Jordan and Morocco.

Germany said on Wednesday it was talking to Ankara about reviewing travel restrictions but was awaiting a recommendation from the European Union.

The virus has killed 4,609 people in Turkey, with more than 165,000 infections so far.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has seen countries around the world shut their borders as they went into lockdown, has decimated the global airline industry as demand was crushed.

Many countries continue to enforce tight entry restrictions, including some countries banning foreign visitors. Airlines around the world have warned it will take years for travel demand to recover.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1561283/e...me-transit-flights-after-uae-lifts-suspension
 
The travel industry has condemned the government's quarantine rules, warning the mandatory two-week isolation will deter visitors and put jobs at risk.

From 8 June all passengers arriving in the UK must self-isolate for 14 days.

The manufacturing industry has added to the criticism, warning fewer flights will restrict imports and exports.

The boss of the UK's biggest airport services company, Swissport, said the plan could deliver a "killer blow" to the tourism sector.

Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, echoed those concerns, saying the requirement to self-isolate would "significantly reduce European visitors".

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr O'Leary said most countries in Europe have a lower rate of coronavirus than the UK.

At a time when "Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal are removing visitor restrictions, the UK is imposing them," he said.

Swissport chief Jason Holt questioned why the rules were being put in place now.

Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, he said: "If it's so important and it's so relevant to the virus, and we all want the country to be safe, why wasn't this done in March? That's why everybody's quite confused on this."

More than 200 travel companies have written to the government asking for the new rules to be scrapped, while some MPs have also raised concerns.

'Wrong policy'
The boss of tour operator Red Savannah said the government had failed to listen to the concerns of the travel industry.

"We are none the wiser as to the science behind the rationale for quarantine," said George Morgan-Grenville.

"It is the wrong policy that is going to cause untold misery for hundreds of thousands of people who will now very likely be made redundant."

But the government says the quarantine period is a "proportionate and time-limited approach'' to protect public health.

On Wednesday, Home Secretary Priti Patel told Parliament imported coronavirus cases now ''pose a more significant threat''.

"We are past the peak but we are now more vulnerable to infections being brought in from abroad," she said.


The manufacturing industry has warned the quarantine rules will have knock on effects for freight, and that will hamper the recovery of some businesses.

Speaking to a committee of senior MPs, Stephen Phipson, the head of the manufacturers' association Make UK, said "passenger aircraft are really important for freight. The belly of the aircraft carries freight. Heathrow is the largest port in the country."

"For import and export in manufacturing that passenger freight traffic is vital", he said.

He described the quarantine rules as "disappointing from that point of view".

From Sunday, all passengers arriving in the UK by plane, ferry or train will have to provide an address where they will remain for 14 days.

Surprise visits will be used to check they are following the quarantine rules. Those in England could be fined up to £1,000 if they are not at home.

A spokesman for the trade body Airlines UK said the government needed to clarify whether people from some countries with low infection rates would be exempt from quarantine rules, under a so-called air bridge.

"If the government leave it too late we run the risk of the summer season being over and losing out to other countries who are starting to open up their borders now," he said.

Swissport, which handles airport ground services and cargo, earned more than €3bn (£2.8bn) in revenue in 2019 but the coronavirus crisis has reduced revenue by 95%, according to Mr Holt.

The company has furloughed most of its 6,000 UK staff.

Mr Holt said they would remain on the Job Retention Scheme until the government's future travel policies became clear.

He said Swissport had lobbied the government to avoid introducing quarantine, but the company was now hoping the rules will only be in place for short time.

"We're really hoping no more than three weeks," he said. If it goes beyond that it could do "irredeemable damage to the sector".

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52917425
 
Qatar Airways resuming flights to over 40 destinations including several Pakistani cities

Qatar Airways says it is gradually rebuilding its network and resuming flights to more than 40 destinations, including Bangkok, Barcelona and several cities in Pakistan.

The airline also announced in a statement the upcoming resumption of flights to other hubs including Berlin and New York.
 
"Uncomfortable."

"It really felt like Armageddon - the end of days."

"I wore a mask for 12 hours - it was suffocating."

"Just don't travel unless you absolutely have to."

This is how four people who flew recently described what it is like to travel by air during the coronavirus pandemic.

With good reason. The hodgepodge of measures airlines and airports have put in place to prevent passengers and crew from spreading the virus has made the experience of flying more stressful than it was before the pandemic.

For instance, in Thailand, travellers are subjected to temperature checks before they can enter airports.

In many United States departure terminals, chairs are blocked to enforce physical distancing and signs on the floor tell passengers to stand six feet apart. Announcements over the public address system remind travellers to keep masks on and frequently sanitise their hands.

Passengers stand in a queue to enter Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India [Francis Mascarenhas/ Reuters]
On Qatar's flag carrier, Qatar Airways, cabin crew are dressed in full protective gear, including goggles, masks and hazmat suits.

In the Maldives, most arrivals are whisked off to luxury hotels for 14 days of mandatory quarantine. And in South Korea, all incoming passengers are required to undergo COVID-19 tests and download a mobile app that tracks their movements and asks for a daily temperature record.

With the pandemic still ravaging large parts of the world and most borders remaining closed, only a handful of international flights are in operation. The civil aviation sector is lobbying governments to allow grounded planes to fly again as many airlines face crippling losses, government bailouts and, in a growing list of cases, bankruptcy.

The industry finds itself in a quandary, however. Physical distancing remains the best defence against the deadly new virus, but such measures may not make flying feasible or profitable for airlines.

In the early days of the pandemic, some airlines announced plans to keep some seats on planes empty to enforce physical distancing. That proved popular with air travellers.

Srishti Nayak, a lecturer at Princeton University in the US, said she chose Alaska Airlines for a recent trip from New Jersey to Portland because of the operator's "middle-seats empty" policy. On the first leg of her trip, she had four empty seats next to her. But the second leg was a "rude awakening," she told Al Jazeera.

"It was a tiny propeller plane, with two seats in each row. There were more than 30 people, all sitting right next to each other." While Nayak was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to her, she said she was "annoyed" and "stressed out" by how packed the plane was.

Similarly, Stine Fleming, who travelled from the US to Denmark in early May, said she was shocked to find that the last flight on her journey home - a KLM plane travelling from Amsterdam to Copenhagen - was completely full.

"It was the first time in more than three months that I had to sit next to a stranger," the 50-year-old translator said in a phone interview. "I was nervous and uncomfortable."

But aviation industry officials are opposing calls for physical distancing measures on board planes.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates such measures mean airlines would only be able to fill planes up to 62 percent of their capacity. But for a flight to make money, aircraft need it to be at least 77 percent full, IATA reckons.

"Social distancing on an aircraft isn't practical," Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce told reporters on May 19. Such a move could mean there would only be 22 people on a 128-seat aircraft, he said, adding: "That means airfares are going to be eight to nine times more than they are today."

IATA and other industry bodies say safety measures such as hospital-grade air filtration systems on planes make physical distancing on board flights unnecessary.

On Monday, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) published a long-awaited set of guidelines for the safe reopening of the aviation sector, recommending physical distancing throughout an air passenger's journey.

"Seats should be assigned for adequate physical distancing between passengers," the United Nations body said. It did acknowledge airline concerns, saying if this was not feasible, then other "adequate risk-based measures" should be adopted.

The ICAO, in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and industry bodies, said it proposes a "layered" approach, including the wearing of masks and frequent hand sanitising throughout a flight, self-service options for check-in, physical distancing during airport queues, prepackaged food on board, automated procedures for customs and border control, and health declarations, COVID-19 tests and robust contact tracing to reduce the risk of imported infections.

It remains to be seen how airlines react to the ICAO's support for physical distancing on board flights. For the short term, at least, some are planning to carry a reduced number of passengers.

The US carrier Delta Airlines said it will limit first-class seating capacity at 50 percent and the main cabin at 60 percent through June 30 to boost consumer's perception of safety. Its rival Southwest Airlines' CEO, Gary Kelly, told shareholders in May that Southwest will limit bookings on its flights through at least July to give passengers space between seats.

It is not just airlines that find physical distancing measures challenging, but airports, too, said Cheng-Lung Wu, associate professor in aviation at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

"If you require everyone to keep social distance while boarding a flight, then you can imagine - for a large aircraft, you're going to have a very long line. Most airports just don't have the space to accommodate that," he said.

However, airports may be able to cope in the short term as air travel is expected to resume very slowly. IATA says it expects air passenger traffic to return to pre-crisis levels only in 2023.

"That may be something airports are happy to see," said Wu. "Because they will not be able to follow all the social distancing rules if capacity comes back to pre-COVID-19 levels all of a sudden."

One woman who travelled on an evacuation flight from Quito, Ecuador to Miami, the US on May 1 said it took her and her husband three hours to complete boarding procedures in a largely empty airport.

"Everything took longer because airport officials were not allowing people to congregate," said Nejla Calvo, a 29-year-old lawyer. The 120 passengers were processed in groups of 10, Calvo told Al Jazeera. "So it took more time to go through check-in and security."

She added: "It was very surreal. It really felt like Armageddon - the end of days, because so many of the passengers were in full protective gear, including face shields."

Other measures that have upset the aviation industry are requirements by some governments for all international travellers to undergo a mandatory quarantine period of 14 days.

The United Kingdom, which did not set such a rule during the initial days of its outbreak, plans to quarantine arrivals starting on June 8. The move prompted neighbouring France to declare it will set mandatory isolation for British travellers, too.

Michael O'Leary, CEO of Europe's largest airline, Ryanair, told the BBC in May that the quarantine plans were "idiotic" and "nonsensical".

Officials say such a move would kill demand for air travel. According to an IATA survey in April, 84 percent of travellers see quarantine measures as among their top concerns when resuming air travel, with 64 percent of respondents saying they would not travel under such conditions.

"It is not feasible for anyone to go somewhere and be subject to 14 days of quarantine," said Subhas Menon, director-general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. "It doesn't make sense. It could also increase the cost of travel as travellers might be expected to fund the cost."

To rebuild passenger confidence in flying, airlines and airports need to adopt standard protocols, Menon said over the phone.

"Travel restrictions were imposed in a hodgepodge manner. There is no predictability. And standardised measures will help take away uncertainty, and give confidence to travellers that all the risks along their journey from home to destination have been considered and necessary measures taken. That will bring back trust in travel."

While that remains to be seen, one thing appears to be for certain.

As Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports, told Bloomberg recently: "Going through an airport, the whole travel experience, will be as enjoyable as open-heart surgery."

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/coronavirus-flying-stressful-200531231143335.html
 
British Airways' owner International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh says he is considering a legal challenge against the quarantine plans
 
MenInG said:
British Airways' owner International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh says he is considering a legal challenge against the quarantine plans
Click to expand...

IAG - the parent company of British Airways - says it's thinking about launching a legal challenge against the UK government over a new rule that will require incoming travellers to quarantine for 14 days. Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, told Sky News earlier that the "irrational" rule would "torpedo" the airline's chances of flying in July, and said there had been no consultation with the industry before the legislation was announced
 
MenInG said:
IAG - the parent company of British Airways - says it's thinking about launching a legal challenge against the UK government over a new rule that will require incoming travellers to quarantine for 14 days. Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, told Sky News earlier that the "irrational" rule would "torpedo" the airline's chances of flying in July, and said there had been no consultation with the industry before the legislation was announced
Click to expand...

Expecting plenty of lawsuits if this goes through.

Lots of the decisions this Government has made defy sense and logic, the timing of those decisions also.
 
Bombardier to cut 2,500 aviation jobs as pandemic dents travel demand

(Reuters) - Canadian plane and train maker Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) said on Friday it would cut 2,500 jobs, or about 11% of the workforce at its aviation unit, as the coronavirus pandemic’s crushing impact on the air industry adds to its long list of problems.

The aviation industry has been among the worst hit by the pandemic, which has dented travel demand and forced several aircraft manufacturers, including planemakers Boeing Co (BA.N) and Airbus SE (AIR.PA), to cut production as customers defer deliveries.

“We are now faced with the difficult decision to adjust the size of our business, considering both disruptions in our supply chain as well as industry-wide forecasts calling for approximately 30% year-over-year drops in unit deliveries due to the pandemic,” David Coleal, president of Bombardier Aviation, said in a memo to workers about the layoffs which was seen by Reuters.

Bombardier Aviation spokesman Mark Masluch said the company is starting to scale back production, but he would not give specifics.

Bombardier, which has nearly 60,000 employees at its aviation and rail units, said it would book a $40 million charge related to the job cuts.

The company, which recently exited the commercial aircraft business, is in the process of selling its rail business to French train maker Alstom (ALSO.PA) for up to 6.2 billion euros ($7.02 billion).

The sale would leave Bombardier as a “pure play” business jetmaker.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the layoffs would affect 717 of its members in Montreal who are now benefiting from an emergency wage subsidy program implemented by the Canadian government to counter the fallout from the outbreak of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

The union said in a statement that “Bombardier had the means to avoid the layoffs today,” if it extended the program, which runs through the end of August.

Masluch said the company needed to act now to give required notice about the layoffs.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-b...as-pandemic-dents-travel-demand-idUKKBN23C1B6
 
Apparently air within airline cabins is pretty clean but can it save you from one passenger who has covid-19? Airlines have a tough problem trying to convince passengers also
 
What the governments need to do worldwide is to cut down the ridiculous mafia style taxes that get imposed on travel tickets etc. This could help the airlines reduce their prices and at the same time improve their gross margins. Travellers could then afford to buy
 
The UAE's two leading carriers, Emirates and Etihad, on Thursday announced that they will be linking 49 destinations across Asia, Europe and Australia in the next 10 days as airlines increase flights and resume transits with the easing of restrictions on air travel.

The UAE government on Wednesday decided to resume transit flights by national carriers Etihad, Emirates, Fly Dubai and Air Arabia via Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah airports.

Emirates will be operating passenger flights to 29 destinations and Etihad will fly to 20 destinations. But the numbers are expected increase substantially in coming weeks as Emirates plans to add 50 destinations in this month while budget carriers flydubai and Air Arabia could also resume regular flights.

Emirates on Thursday said it will offer passenger services to 16 more cities from June 15 and also resume transit flights, taking its total number of flights to 29. It will launch flights to Bahrain, Manchester, Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, New York JFK, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei, Hong Kong, Perth and Brisbane from June 15.

In addition, it will add three Pakistani cities of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad from next week. Other destinations where it is operating are London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne and Manila.

"Customers can book to fly between destinations in the Asia-Pacific and Europe or the Americas, with a convenient connection in Dubai, as long as they meet travel and immigration entry requirements of their destination country," the Dubai-based carrier said.

Emirates is already offering connecting flights between the UK and Australia.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad announced that it will be linking 20 cities across Europe, Asia and Australia from June 10. It also recently linked London Heathrow to Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney via Abu Dhabi.

Transfer connections via Abu Dhabi will now be available from Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to major cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Zurich.

"The new transfer services will make it possible for those travelling on the airline's current network of special flights to connect easily through the UAE capital onwards to key global destinations," it said.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO and chairman of Emirates and chairman of flydubai, welcomed the decision to open up airports for transit flights.

He said in a tweet on Wednesday that flydubai will also shortly announce the resumption of passengers flights to more cities with connections to and through Dubai.

The budget carrier is currently operating only special repatriation flights to around 11 destinations.

Sharjah-based Air Arabia had not responded to queries at the time of filing of this report.

Emirates' existing routes

London Heathrow
Frankfurt
Paris
Milan
Madrid
Chicago
Toronto
Sydney
Melbourne

Etihad's existing routes

Amsterdam
Barcelona
Brussels
Dublin
Frankfurt
Geneva
London Heathrow
Madrid
Milan
Paris
Zurich

Emirates' destinations from June 15

Bahrain
Manchester
Zurich
Vienna
Amsterdam
Copenhagen
Dublin
New York JFK
Seoul
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Jakarta
Taipei
Hong Kong
Perth
Brisbane
London Heathrow
Frankfurt
Paris
Milan
Madrid
Chicago
Toronto
Sydney
Melbourne
Manila
Karachi
Lahore
Islamabad

Etihad's future destinations

Jakarta
Karachi
Kuala Lumpur
Manila
Melbourne
Seoul
Singapore
Sydney
Tokyo
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Brussels
Dublin
Frankfurt
Geneva
London Heathrow
Madrid
Milan
Paris Charles de Gaulle
Zurich

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/busine...ers-set-to-connect-49-cities-in-next-10-days-
 
United Airlines will close cabin crew bases in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Frankfurt, as the airline industry continues to reel from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chicago-based airline said the move would cost 840 jobs, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

“In the current and future environment, we simply are not able to sustain an in-flight base at these locations,” United’s senior vice-president of in-flight services, John Slater, said.

“We recognise that closing any base places a hardship on those who live near those locations.”
 
Poland to extend ban on international flights to June 16

Poland plans to extend a ban on international flights until June 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic, state-run news agency PAP said, citing a government decree.

State-controlled Polish airlines LOT restarted flights between the country's biggest cities, including Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow and Wroclaw, from June 1.

As of Friday, Poland had reported 25,410 coronavirus cases, including 1,137 deaths.
 
Emirates, Etihad extend temporary salary cuts to Sept

Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways are extending the period of reduced pay for their staff until September as they try to preserve cash during the global coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported.

The aviation industry has been among the worst hit by the outbreak, which has dented travel demand and forced major airlines to lay off staff and seek government bailouts.

Dubai's Emirates told employees it would extend a three month wage cut due to end this month until September 30, according to an internal email seen by Reuters.

In some cases, pay cuts will also be deepened, with some basic salaries reduced by 50 per cent, the email to Emirates Group employees said. The decision was made after reviewing all possible options to preserve its cash position, it said.

State-owned Emirates Group did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
 
Airline Lufthansa will bring home any German passengers it flies abroad on holiday, the company's chief executive has promised.

The German government said on Wednesday it would not be repatriating travellers this summer, like it did when the pandemic struck earlier this year. The announcement prompted concern among some potential holidaymakers that they could end up stranded.

But Lufthansa's Carsten Spohr told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung: "We are aware of this (concern), which is why we are introducing a homecoming guarantee."

He said the airline would guarantee a return flight for any passenger who did not pass temperature checks on arrival in the foreign country, if a passenger found they would be placed under quarantine, or in the event of a virus outbreak meaning new lockdown measures had been introduced.
 
Three airlines have written to the UK government to protest against its "wholly unjustified and disproportionate" quarantine rules due to come into force from Monday.

From 8 June almost all arrivals in the UK will be required to self-isolate for 14 days and give details of their accommodation, measures that airlines fear will stop people wanting to come to the UK.

In England, a breach of rules will be punishable with a £1,000 fine.

The message from British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet is described as a "pre-action protocol letter", meaning it could be followed by legal action.

The airlines say the measures are harsher than those imposed on people confirmed to have coronavirus who are asked to isolate and do not face criminal sanctions for failing to do so.

Their letter also said it was "illogical and irrational" to impose quarantine on people arriving from EU countries that have lower infection rates than Britain.

The Channel Tunnel's owner has also written to Boris Johnson calling for his "urgent intervention" to solve issues around the quarantine rules.
 
New rules requiring all people arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days have come into effect.

Those arriving by plane, ferry or train - including UK nationals - will have to provide an address where they will self-isolate and face fines of up to £1,000 if they do not follow the rules.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the laws are designed "to prevent a second wave" of coronavirus.

But some industries have warned they will be severely impacted by the rules.

Anyone arriving from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man does not have to complete the form or enter quarantine.

There are also exemptions for workers in some industries such as road haulage and medical professionals who are providing essential care.

All other travellers have to fill in a "public health passenger locator" form on arrival. Failure to do so could lead to a penalty of £100, or travellers may be refused entry.

If they are unable to provide an address, the government will arrange accommodation at the traveller's expense. There will also be checks to see whether the rules are being followed.

The government has faced criticism from the aviation industry and some Tory MPs over the measures, but Ms Patel said the measures were "proportionate" and being implemented "at the right time".

"The science is clear that if we limit the risk of new cases being brought in from abroad, we can help stop a devastating second wave," Ms Patel said.

Those arriving in England and Northern Ireland could face a fine of £1,000 if they fail to self-isolate for the full 14 days, while they face a £480 fine in Scotland. The maximum fine for repeat offenders in Scotland is £5,000. The enforcement rules in Wales are not clear.

People should drive their own car to their destination, where possible, and once at their destination they must not use public transport or taxis.

They must not go to work, school, or public areas, or have visitors - except for essential support.

Passengers in transit, who do not pass through border control, are also among the groups who are exempt from the mandatory isolation.

The travel industry has been vocal in its criticism of the government's quarantine rules, warning that the isolation period will deter visitors and put jobs at risk.

The manufacturing industry has also highlighted that fewer flights will restrict imports and exports, which will have a knock-on effect for the freight industry, as well as hampering the recovery of some businesses.

British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair have written to Procurator General Sir Jonathan Jones, the government's most senior legal official - the first stage required when taking legal action against the government.

The airlines say they're prepared to ask for a judicial review into the government's travel quarantine rules.

Travel trade body Abta has called on the government to urgently create a roadmap for restarting international travel, while the UK's biggest airport services company, Swissport, has warned it could deliver a "killer blow" to the tourism sector.

'Another blow to our industry'

Industry leaders wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in May asking that the government avoid taking a "blanket approach" to quarantine, suggesting so-called "air bridges" with countries that have low coronavirus rates.

Aviation, maritime and rail industry leaders were invited to discuss the new quarantine plans but British Airways refused to attend the meeting, and aviation bosses told the BBC that they were not impressed by the content of the call.

BBC's transport correspondent Tom Burridge says relations between the government and Britain's aviation industry are now at "rock bottom".

BA, already under huge financial strain due to the pandemic, is proposing to make 12,000 staff redundant in order to stay afloat. Separately, Heathrow Airport's chief executive has warned that about 25,000 jobs could be at risk at Heathrow Airport.

Government sources have told the BBC that the UK is hoping to secure air bridge agreements with certain countries, such as Portugal, Spain and France, as well as Australia and Singapore.

But the government's position is that the idea is only "under consideration".

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52959118
 
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary says new rules requiring all people arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days will cause “untold devastation” to the British tourism industry.

The government says the measures are designed to help prevent a second wave of the virus, but O’Leary told the BBC they were “irrational, ineffective and completely unimplementable.”

“It will cause untold devastation, not just to the airlines but to British tourism,” the boss of Europe's largest budget airline said.

“The thousands of hotels, the thousands of visitor attractions, restaurants in the next couple of months – July and August are the two key months for British tourism.

“We’re facing thousands of jobs losses because of a stupid, ineffective quarantine.”

O’Leary added that while bookings were down by about 50% on the same time last year, outbound flights from the UK were full and he had no intention of cancelling flights, with British people likely to “ignore” the new rules.
 
Coronavirus: EasyJet warns of more job losses as Ryanair labels travel quarantine a 'political stunt'

Ryanair has criticised quarantine measures as a "political stunt" while EasyJet warns there could be more job losses if UK's policy for international travellers continues.

Johan Lundgren, chief executive of EasyJet, told Sky's Ian King Live that he "feared" there would be more job losses at the airline if the quarantine period lasts longer than expected.

The UK introduced a 14-day quarantine period for international arrivals starting from 8 June despite warnings from some of the biggest airlines in the country that the move will cause a collapse in tourism and damage exports.

Under the new rules, those failing to self-isolate for 14-days could face a fine of £1,000.

Passengers travelling to the UK will also not be allowed to use public transport from the airport and will be prevented from going to work or school while under quarantine.

Mr Lundgren said: "This is affecting millions of people and it's also affecting the UK vacation industry which has been a, a leading sector across the global aviation.

"I fear that unless there's a change into this, the aviation industry as we know it here in the UK will not be intact."

The low-cost airline is already planning to cut 4,500 jobs or 30% of its workforce because of the fall in demand for air travel due to the coronavirus crisis.

Ryanair boss also highlighted the flaws in the government's strategy by pointing out that the Prime Minister's special advisor broke lockdown rules.

Chief executive of the Irish airline Michael O'Leary said: "It's a political stunt designed by Dominic Cummings [PM's special advisor] et al., to cover the fact that they don't even observe the quarantines themselves anyway."

Mr O'Leary also said that while thousands of British tourists flocked to European destinations during the few remaining months of summer, the same wasn't true of European travellers coming to the UK.

He added: "Thousands of Europeans who would normally visit the UK during July and August, the peak holiday season, are not coming there because they're terrified of this quarantine."

The chief executive of London's Heathrow Airport added pressure on the government by telling Kay Burley @ Breakfast that hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost if aviation is not able to resume quickly.

John Holland-Kaye said: "If we don't get aviation moving again quickly, in a very safe way, then we are going to lose hundreds of thousands if not millions of jobs in the UK just at the time when we need to be rebuilding our economy."

The boss of British Airways owner IAG told Sky's Ian King Live programme last week that he was considering a legal challenge against the quarantine and was reviewing the situation with lawyers.

Willie Walsh said: "We think it is irrational, we think it is disproportionate and we are giving consideration to a legal challenge to this legislation."
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...-travel-quarantine-a-political-stunt-12002711
 
People coming into the UK should be tested for coronavirus "within days" of their arrival, the leader of the Labour opposition party, Sir Keir Starmer, has said.

From Monday, most people arriving in the country must quarantine for 14 days.

Starmer said the new rule was a "blunt instrument" used too late, at a time when other countries were lifting travel restrictions.

"I actually would much prefer to see some sort of testing regime at the airport" or "within days of [people] coming in", he told LBC Radio.

The quarantine has also provoked fierce criticism from the aviation and travel industries, with the boss of Ryanair labelling it ineffective and a "political stunt".

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the measures were designed "to prevent a second wave" of coronavirus.
 
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