Coronavirus: Scandinavian Airlines puts flights ‘on hold’ due to ‘non-existent’ demand March 15, 2020 Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) today announced that it has put most of its operations “on hold” due to the “non-existent” demand for air travel as a result of coronavirus. The measures are the most extreme yet taken by an airline and comes amid the grounding of thousands of planes worldwide as countries step up their measures [...]
Railway industry in talks with government over emergency coronavirus measures March 15, 2020 The government is in talks with the rail industry over a range of steps to protect franchises against falling passenger numbers due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to the BBC, at a meeting of industry figures last week it was revealed that numbers had fallen by up to 18 per cent on certain lines, although [...]
Heathrow Airport expansion in a ‘deep freeze’ after court decision and coronavirus March 15, 2020 Heathrow Airport’s planned expansion is now in a “deep freeze”, with the aviation industry expecting the project to fall off the agenda during the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have been told an impending coronavirus recession will likely delay the third runway a further two years to 2030 at the earliest and could require job cuts, according [...]
Virgin Atlantic calls on government for £7.5bn airline bailout package March 15, 2020 Virgin Atlantic’s chiefs are preparing to send a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for the government to provide a £7.5bn package to support airlines, which have been decimated by the coronavirus outbreak. Sky News reported that Virgin Group chairman Peter Norris will write to Johnson on Monday warning him of the potentially devastating [...]
Coronavirus: Spanish cases jump by 1,500 as Ryanair joins Jet2 in cancelling flights to Spain March 14, 2020 Spain has had a 1,500 rise in confirmed coronavirus cases today, the country’s public health officials have said. It brings the total to 5,753, almost of half of which are in Madrid. Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to 136. Spain has more cases of coronavirus than any other country in Europe except for Italy, [...]
BA boss warns coronavirus worse than financial crisis for airlines March 13, 2020 The boss of British Airways (BA) has warned that the coronavirus pandemic will have a bigger impact on the airline industry than the financial crisis. BA chief executive Alex Cruz reportedly told staff that the outbreak is a “crisis of global proportions like no other we have known”. The spread of Covid-19 will force the [...]
Coronavirus: Jubilee Line Tube driver tests positive March 13, 2020 A Tube driver on London Underground’s Jubilee Line has tested positive for coronavirus, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed today. It is the first case of coronavirus to be reported among London Underground workers. Transport for London (TfL) said the affected Tube driver is now self-isolating. A TfL spokesperson said: “A train driver on the Jubilee [...]
Saga suspends cruises in £15m coronavirus blow March 13, 2020 British travel group Saga today suspended cruises until the start of May over the escalating coronavirus outbreak, at a cost of between £10m and £15m to the company. Saga’s move follows rival Carnival’s decision to suspend all Princess cruise ship voyages for two months. One of its ocean liners, the Diamond Princess, was an early [...]
Tube passenger numbers fall during UK coronavirus outbreak March 12, 2020 The amount of passengers on the Tube has declined in the past four weeks during the coronavirus outbreak. The number of London Underground journeys has dropped by 1.6 per cent in the past four weeks compared to a year ago, while trips in the past 12 weeks are down 1 per cent compared to a [...]
Norwegian to cut 4000 flights as US coronavirus travel ban hammers airlines March 12, 2020 Beleaguered Norwegian Air has suspended more than 4000 flights, grounding 40 per cent of its long haul capacity, in an attempt to limit the devastation caused by coronavirus. The cancellations come after US president Donald Trump announced a travel ban on 26 EU countries, excluding the UK and Ireland, which will last for 30 days. [...]