Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Ryanair appealed to the European Court of Justice against direct funding of around €200 million from the Italian government to Alitalia to compensate for the damage done by the pandemic.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Air Austral has delayed indefinitely the delivery of its two A220s, as financial guarantees were requested by EDC (Canada).

Air India disinvestment may be pushed by two to three months due to the current health crisis in the country.

Air New Zealand to operate to the Cook Islands 2-3 times weekly on 17 May 2021 using B787-9, following the opening of a two-way quarantine-free travel bubble between New Zealand and Rarotonga.

Azul president John Rodgerson believes in a rapid recovery in the aviation sector and a boom in domestic flights later in 2021.

StarLux Airlines of Taiwan is considering pushing back the start date for its flights to the US, from 2022 to 2023, due to the pandemic.

India’s DGCA extended the suspension on international flights from/to India till 31 May 2021.

Latvia’s State Audit Office urges to strengthen the monitoring of compliance with the conditions of state aid provided to airBaltic.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Air Serbia to focus on getting back to some sort of normality. The carrier is flying over 800 charter flights in summer and is looking at long haul destinations, including China, the US, and Canada.

Emirates plans to restore around 70% of its capacity by winter 2021/22 travel season. The airline has resumed passenger flights to 120 destinations, representing about 85% of those it flew to before the pandemic.

European Commission has approved €12 million in Portuguese support in favour of SATA Air Acores as compensation due to damages suffered from the pandemic. Furthermore, it approved up to €255 million additional liquidity support to SATA. The EC also extended the ongoing in-depth investigation into other support measures.

Lufthansa asked shareholders for permission to raise €5.5 billion in fresh capital, calling it a necessary step to repair the stricken carrier’s balance sheet.

Pasifika Air of New Zealand is back on track after the announcement of a quarantine-free travel bubble with the Cook Islands from 17 May 2021. The startup aims to fly by 2021 end, once the AOC is issued.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Of the almost 100.000 tests on KLM crew members, only 0.07% has tested corona positive (76 on 97.600).

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Australia’s international borders might not fully reopen until the middle or second half of 2022, in a blow to airlines and the tourism sector.

Mauritius will not allow entry until at least 15 May 2021 as the travel ban was extended.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Pakistan International Airlines will lay off half of its 14,000 employees, replace some of its fleet and permanently close loss-making routes in a bid to become profitable by 2023. The fleet will be kept under 30 aircraft, and flights to Tokyo and Manila will be some of those ended.
They havent served Manila in 20 years and Tokyo was suspended last year.

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Aer Lingus has “too many resources and will need to adapt”, the airline said, as it continues to grapple with the impact of Covid-related limitations on its services.

Air Tahiti Nui will resume Los Angeles – Paris service from 02 June 2021. The carrier’s Auckland and Tokyo services from Papeete remain suspended until 29 October 2021.

China Airlines of Taiwan will temporarily reduce international cargo flight services to cope with a pilot shortage caused by the pandemic.

Kenya Airways is in talks with its lenders to extend moratoriums on repayment of loans, with demand in the aviation industry still heavily affected by the pandemic.

Bangladesh plans to provide support with necessary stimulus packages to rescue local carriers from the impact of the ongoing partial global lockdown.

Israel’s government approved an aid plan to support the country’s aviation industry, including US$210 million for EL AL and $16 million for Israir.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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African airlines’ traffic sank 73.7% in March

IATA announced that passenger traffic fell in March 2021 compared to pre-COVID levels in March 2019 but rose compared to the immediate month prior to February 2021.

African airlines’ traffic sank 73.7% in March versus March two years ago, marking a deterioration compared to a 72.3% decline recorded in February compared to February 2019. March capacity contracted 61.8% versus March 2019, and load factor fell 22.3 percentage points to 49.0%.

Asia-Pacific airlines’ March international traffic was down 94.8% compared to March 2019, barely better than the 95.4% decline registered in February 2021 versus February 2019. The region continued to suffer from the steepest traffic declines for a ninth consecutive month. Capacity was down 87.0% and the load factor sank 48.6 percentage points to 31.9%, the lowest among regions.

European carriers recorded an 88.3% decline in traffic in March versus March 2019, just slightly ahead of the 89.1% decline in February compared to the same month in 2019. Capacity fell 80.0% and load factor fell by 35.0 percentage points to 49.4%.

Middle Eastern airlines’ demand fell 81.6% in March compared to March 2019, improved over an 83.1% demand drop in February, versus the same month in 2019. Capacity fell 67.2%, and load factor declined 32.3 percentage points to 41.3%.

North American carriers saw March traffic sink 80.9% compared to the 2019 period, a gain compared to the 83.4% decline in February compared to two years ago. Capacity sagged 62.6%, and load factor dropped 41.0 percentage points to 42.9%.

Latin American airlines experienced an 82.4% demand drop in March, compared to the same month in 2019, a slight improvement compared to the 83.7% decline in February compared to February 2019. March capacity was down 77.4% compared to March 2019 and load factor dropped 18.1 percentage points to 63.6%, highest among the regions for a sixth straight mont

https://www.africanaerospace.aero/afric ... march.html
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Aeromar pilots’ union signed a new agreement with the airline, which will run until December 2021 and will allow the company to optimize its finances and consolidate its operational recovery.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Qantas Group will adjust its planned international flights from end-October 2021 to late December 2021. Trans Tasman flights are unchanged.

EU has decided to take action in the matter of the controversial rescue of the Spanish airline Plus Ultra and has opened an investigation on the matter.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

European Commission has found that an Italian aid measure of € million to support Alitalia is in line with EU State aid rules. This measure aims at compensating the airline for the damages suffered on certain routes due to the pandemic during January 2021.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/alit ... ronavirus/

La Compagnie obtained a new State Guaranteed Loan of €10 million, which will enable it to relaunch its “100% Business Class” flights to Newark in June 2021 from Paris, and in July from Nice.

Philippine Airlines reiterated it is undergoing “restructuring” as part of its plan to weather the pandemic, amid reports of a bankruptcy protection plan.

Rolls-Royce is confident that the significant restructuring actions it has taken in 2020 will deliver permanent cost reductions, positioning it well for the rebound in international air travel. RR continues to expect to turn free cash flow positive at some point during 2H 2021.

Thai Airlines Association, which represent seven local airlines, is seeking to meet PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to ask about the government’s stand on their request for long-awaited US$448 million in soft loans.

Tunisair CEO Khaled Chelly believes that the financial situation of the carrier is critical, and funds of US$371 million will be needed to get the company back on its feet. The company’s debts exceed $817 million.

Virgin Australia Group to defer most short-haul international flying, including to Fiji and Indonesia, until at least December 2021 due to expected low demand.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Air Transat has extended its suspension of operations through to 29 July 2021 due to continued travel restrictions.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Aegean board decide the increase of the company’s share capital and will raise funds of €60 million, in order for the state aid of an amount up to €120 million to be disbursed.

Algeria will partially open the air borders as of 01 June 2021, 14 months after it closed them in response to the pandemic.

Ireland’s Department of Transport says further job losses are likely in the aviation sector in the wake of the pandemic but additional State supports are being considered.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Many countries have suspended their flights due to the rising tension of covid-19 patients. This is the right way to detained people in their own countries so that the spread of the virus could be stopped. I really appreciate this sort of movement of the governments.

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Eurowings has seen its number of flight bookings more than double thanks to growing vaccine prevalence and the loosening of travel restrictions. Volumes would not reach pre-crisis levels until 2022 or 2023.

Saudia plans to return to profitability by 2024, as the carrier is beginning to see domestic demand exceeding capacity.

United Airlines to add more than 400 daily flights to its July 2021 schedule and increase services to re-opened European destinations as easing pandemic restrictions spur summer travel demand..

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/unit ... ic-levels/

Ireland’s government has no plans for any broader financial intervention into Aer Lingus beyond what the airline can access through existing State channels.

Saudi Arabia is now open to international flights at full capacity as the travel ban officially ended on 17 May 2021.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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(Almost) daily review:

Air Malta will be increasing its flights as planned in June 2021, with added frequencies and will restart services to the European cities of Lisbon, Munich, Prague and Vienna. The carrier is planning to operate 51 return weekly flights to 15 destinations in June.

Fiji Airways and Fiji Link have extended flight cancellations until 30 May 2021.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

AirAsia X reports headcount has been reduced by 10%, with further reductions planned, primarily in the flight operations-related functions.

Qantas to cut “several hundred” jobs in its international division, affected by border closures, despite the fact that the airline is showing signs of recovery domestically.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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TICV, (Spanish group Binter) which replaced Cape Verde national flag carrier (TACV) on domestic service few years ago suspended service few days ago, due to COVID.

Angola Airlines BestFly will replace it.

Cabo Verde: Angolan airline BestFly promises cheaper domestic flights



The chief executive of BestFly, the Angolan group that today took over the public service concession for inter-island air transport in Cabo Verde, said its objectives were to lower the price of flights and stay beyond the six-month emergency contract.

“What we committed to with the government of Cabo Verde was to find a solution in which the state of Cabo Verde had no expenses and we, as a company, had no expenses. Our aim is to reach breakeven [financial balance],” Nuno Pereira told Lusa in Praia.

The group was chosen by the Cape Verdean government, after a market consultation, to take over as of May 17 an emergency six-month concession for the inter-island public passenger air transport service. The choice was announced on Friday by the government, given the absence, for several weeks, of tickets and flights scheduled by Transportes Interilhas de Cabo Verde (TICV, of Spanish group Binter) from May 17 – in an apparent dispute with the government, claiming financial support due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic – the latter being the only company that operated, for almost three years, the internal air links.

https://www.macaubusiness.com/cabo-verd ... c-flights/
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

IATA expects the industry to emerge from the coronavirus crisis smaller and more cautious, doubting airlines will try to expand through acquisitions.

Note: Since the Covid news seems to fade away in aviation, I will no longer continue this daily review and post news only when it is worthwhile.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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LATAM Airlines Brasil is preparing to increase the offer of domestic flights, with 90% of the pre-pandemic network reached by December 2021.

Irish lessor SMBC Aviation Capital says consolidation of the global aircraft leasing industry is likely to be accelerated by COVID-19.
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