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 [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks rise as countries ease coronavirus lockdowns May 5, 2020 US stocks have followed the FTSE 100 higher on the back of an oil price rally and hopes that economies could start to heal as countries and states lift coronavirus restrictions. Britain’s FTSE 100 index was 1.8 per cent higher in afternoon trading at 5,856 points. It had fallen 0.2 per cent yesterday. The mid-cap [...]
Qantas halts plans for non-stop flights to London and New York May 5, 2020 Australian airline Qantas has suspended plans to commence record-breaking non-stop flights to London and New York due to disruption caused by coronavirus. It was reported that the carrier has made the decision to delay the so-called “Project Sunrise”, which was due to launch in 2023, for an indefinite period. As a result, the airline has [...]
Ryanair flies just 40,000 people in April as demand evaporates May 5, 2020 Europe’s largest low-cost carrier Ryanair revealed that passenger numbers fell 99.6 per cent in April as the coronavirus crisis continued to cripple global aviation. Last month the airline operated 600 flights, a tiny fraction of the 75,500 it had budgeted, and flew just 40,000 people. By contrast, in April last year the airline flew 13.5m [...]
European Commission approves €7bn in state aid for Air France May 4, 2020 The European Commission has approved €7bn (£6.2bn) in emergency funding for embattled airline Air France, saying that if it did not it could cause “severe harm to the French economy”. The aid package will consist of both a state guarantee on loans and a shareholder loan. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s top competition official, said: This [...]
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, [...]
Ryanair will not resume flights if middle seat must be left empty, says Michael O’Leary April 22, 2020 Ryanair will not resume flights if it is forced to leave the middle seats empty in order to comply with social distancing rules, the budget airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary said. O’Leary reportedly said he believed the company will about 40 per cent of its flights at a capacity of 50 to 60 per cent [...]