Trainline ‘confident’ it can navigate coronavirus downturn as revenue grows May 7, 2020 Travel ticketing platform Trainline has said that it is “confident” it can navigate an extended coronavirus downturn, as its revenue grew 24 per cent last year. The firm said that although passenger numbers in the UK and Europe are currently down 95 per cent, its long term growth strategies remained intact. The figures Trainline said [...]
British Airways owner IAG targets ‘meaningful return’ to flying in July May 7, 2020 British Airways owner IAG has announced that it is targeting a “meaningful return” to operating flights in July, but warned passenger numbers across the whole year could fall by 50 per cent. The airline warned that it did not expect to see a return to pre-coronavirus passenger numbers until 2023, meaning further restructuring would be [...]
Airline body says face masks should be worn on flights to prevent the spread of coronavirus May 5, 2020 The industry body representing global airlines has recommended passengers wear masks on flights to prevent the spread of coronavirus once flying restarts. David Powell, medical adviser to the International Air Transportation Association (IATA), said while normal seat allocation can be maintained, face masks should be worn on board. Some major US airlines have already introduced [...]
Virgin Atlantic to cut 3,150 jobs and quit Gatwick base May 5, 2020 Virgin Atlantic will cut a third of its workforce and cease its operations at Gatwick airport in a bid to survive the coronavirus crisis, the embattled airline announced today. The carrier, which will cut 3,150 of 10,000 strong workforce, is the latest airline to announce major job cuts after Ryanair and British Airways. In a [...]
GE plans to cut up to 13,000 jobs in further blow to US aviation sector May 4, 2020 General Electric (GE) said today it is planning on cutting the global workforce of its aviation unit by as much as 25 per cent, or up to 13,000 jobs. The announcement is the latest blow to fall on the beleaguered aviation sector which has been hit hard by the freeze in travel triggered by the [...]
FTSE 100 bucks the trend as global stocks fall on US-China tensions May 4, 2020 The FTSE 100 has climbed into the green in afternoon trading, faring better than European and US stocks which fell after the Trump administration stoked tensions with China over coronavirus. Britain’s FTSE 100 index was up 0.1 per cent just after 3pm at 5,770 points. London trading was choppy but helped by a fall in [...]
Warren Buffett pulls out of US aviation as Berkshire Hathaway hits $50bn loss May 3, 2020 Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has sold its entire stake in the four largest US airlines as it posted a quarterly loss of nearly $50bn (£40bn). Buffett yesterday told the company’s annual meeting that “the world has changed” for the aviation industry. Berkshire held large positions in the airlines, including an 11 per cent stake in [...]
IAG secures Spanish bank loans for Iberia and Vueling despite BA job cuts May 1, 2020 International Airlines Group (IAG) this morning announced it had secured over €1bn (£880m) in Spanish bank loans for its Iberia and Vueling carriers, a day after announcing 12,000 job cuts at British Airways (BA). The loans, which will be guaranteed by the Spanish state bank, will see Iberia receive $750m and Vueling $260m to see [...]
Ryanair set to cut up to 3,000 jobs due to coronavirus May 1, 2020 Budget airline Ryanair has warned that it might cut up to 3,000 jobs due to the ongoing disruption from the coronavirus pandemic. The low-cost carrier said that it would begin a restructuring programme in July 2020, with most of the cuts expected to affect pilots and cabin crew staff. It also said that unpaid leave, [...]
British Airways to axe a quarter of pilots amid 12,000 job cuts April 30, 2020 British Airways owner IAG expects to make a quarter of its pilots redundant as part of a scheme that could axe 12,000 jobs. The airline said it will reduce its pilot headcount by 955 for what it termed “volume adjustment” and a further 175 it pinned on “efficiency changes”. That would cull 1,130 pilots out [...]