Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Tourists are buying fake covid-19 test results on the black market to travel.
How safe is it really to travel now?
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Avianca says it has the financial flexibility to support its operations and continue to make progress on its plan of reorganization without the participation of the Republic of Colombia.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss hopes the UK and US will prioritize the launch of a travel corridor between the countries for the sake of transatlantic routes.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Tui extend the suspension to 11 February 2021
Thats quite a statement : no it cant get better, it wont get better, masks and negative tests arent sufficient and the 10% of the population that is immune is ignored.
Well. Lets see if other airlines want to steal their market then.

In the meantime, france extend the lockdown with the clear aim of suffering more now to open for Christmas.
Different readings of the same crystal ball i guess
My messages reflect my personal opinion which may be different than yours. I beleive a forum is made to create a debate so I encourage people to express themselves, the way they want, with the ideas they want. I expect the same understanding in return.

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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On Saturday, a 32-year old male citizen from Georgia (Eurasia) has been arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. He flew from Georgia (Tbilisi?) via a stopover at AMS to his work place in Malta, but customs at AMS found a letter on him, stating that he had tested positive for Covid-19. So has been arrested, but he also has been put into quarantaine.

https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/276198/m ... shandeling

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Passenger wrote: 15 Nov 2020, 15:09 On Saturday, a 32-year old male citizen from Georgia (Eurasia) has been arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. He flew from Georgia (Tbilisi?) via a stopover at AMS to his work place in Malta, but customs at AMS found a letter on him, stating that he had tested positive for Covid-19. So has been arrested, but he also has been put into quarantaine.
https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/276198/m ... shandeling
.

Official statement by the Dutch Police:
.

And on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/33153240686427 ... 03877/?d=n
Met Corona besmette man die op vliegtuig wil stappen aangehouden voor poging zware mishandeling.
De Koninklijke Marechaussee heeft op Schiphol een 32-jarige Georgiër aangehouden voor poging zware mishandeling. De man kwam vanuit Georgië op Schiphol aan en was op doorreis naar Malta. Via de transithal ging hij naar de gate. Daar werd hij door een medewerker van de luchtvaartmaatschappij gecontroleerd en bleek dat hij een brief bij zich had waarop stond dat hij positief was getest op Corona. Hierop is de man direct in quarantaine geplaatst en door de Marechaussee aangehouden. De Marechaussee doet verder onderzoek onder leiding van het Openbaar Ministerie Noord-Holland.

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

TUI is reportedly in talks with the German government over receiving a further €1.8 billion bailout in order to survive the pandemic.

Air Austral is now counting on a gradual recovery of its regional network for December 2020, on the basis of an adjusted program to Mauritius, Madagascar, Moroni, Mayotte, Paris, and Rodrigues.

British Airways has applied to the Spanish airport authority AENA for permission to park as many as 30 of its unused Airbus aircraft at Palma airport.

Flybondi of Argentina has decided to postpone the restart of our international operations to July 2021 due to lack of information from the government needed to plan ahead.

GOL plans to resume international flights on 28 March 2021, with routes from Sao Paulo to Montevideo, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Asuncion, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Also, flights from Brasília to Miami and Orlando to resume, followed by Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires.

LOT Polish Airlines is set to receive a multi-billion dollar aid package from the government.

Philippine Airlines said its shareholders remain committed to supporting the carrier through the pandemic. PAL posted a comprehensive 3Q 2020 loss of US$159.3 million on total revenues of $184.8 million. PAL is currently implementing a restructuring and recovery programme, which includes cutting 35% of its workforce.

Smartwings and subsidiary Czech Airlines will be protected from creditors until the end of February 2021, after the government granted a debt moratorium. The carrier is working on a rescue plan in cooperation with EY (UK), with possible state aid being discussed. Smartwings also received back a US$10 million deposit from Boeing for B737 MAX on order, while compensation is being discussed.

TAP Air Portugal is abandoning orders that were already made and “negotiating the return of some planes” as part of its restructuring.

Chile will again welcome international visitors from 23 November 2020, with flights in/out of Santiago.

Slovenia to allocate €1.5 million in subsidies to airlines on 23 November 2020 for maintaining flights to the country between 30 March and 30 September 2020.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Cathay cuts HKG - Brussels, Dulles, Newark, Seattle, Gatwick, Dublin & Malé.
Hi. I'm Thibault Lapers. @ThibaultLapers & @TLspotting

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review (which is expected to be continued for some time...)::

Air Arabia said it had requested the government for financial support to deal with the impact of the pandemic.

Air Europa suspended the flights it had scheduled in December 2020 from Madrid to Caracas and postponed them until February 2021.

Air France-KLM is said to be looking for an additional €6 billion, of which €4 billion could be provided by the government, in order to get passed the second wave of the pandemic.

Air Mauritius administrators secured the Supreme Court’s approval to postpone creditor meeting by six months from December 2020. The airline also saved US$51.2 million in fixed costs between 22 April and 30 October 2020.

Air Namibia presented a new business plan valued at US$305.3 million, which forms part of a revised initiative to turn around the fortunes of the airline.

Royal Air Maroc is preparing to increase its capital by US$376.2 million to weather the current crisis.

Swissport has pressed ahead with mass redundancies which came into effect on 31 October 2020 despite calls to reinstate the workers and furlough them instead.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Yesterday's daily review:

Air Algerie says it could find itself unable to pay salaries as talks with unions and the government have stalled. The carrier is also face a shortfall of US$695 million by the end of 2020 if poor market conditions remain.

Amaszonas Uruguay will suspend its operations from 07 December 2020 after being in the red for nine months. The carrier aims to resume operations when borders open, at which time it will seek partners.

Greenpeace asked a court to block the €3 billion of state aid granted to KLM, arguing the government had failed to force the ailing airline to make its business more sustainable.

EC has approved a €5 million Slovenian scheme to support airlines in the context of the pandemic.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Today's daily review:

Emirates plans to resume flying its A380s after the pandemic, as they “remain hugely popular with the travelling public”.

Flybondi will suspend its operations at Rosario airport (Argentina) due to the lack of operational and commercial definitions by regulators. The carrier will resume when the market normalises.

Iraqi Airways to resume flights to several sectors in Europe in mid-December 2020, including to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, London, and Copenhagen.

Kenya Airways has suspended its joint venture with Air France-KLM due to a lack of schedule predictability.

Level France should take off again from Paris Orly in early December 2020, bound for the West Indies and New York, however, nothing is finalised.

US airlines made a fresh plea for more payroll relief before the end of 2020 and pointed to the challenges of distributing a COVID-19 vaccine in a letter to Congressional leaders.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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As from Monday 23th November, there will probably be a lot of denied boardings on flights to Spain: airlines have to check if passengers have a Covid-19-free PCR test statement, in English or Spanish, max 72h old.

Belgian Foreign Affairs Departments:

Het is vanaf 23 november verplicht voor alle reizigers afkomstig uit een hoogrisicogebied (ongeacht hun nationaliteit) het bewijs van een negatieve PCR-test voor te leggen bij aankomst in een Spaanse haven of luchthaven. Deze covidtest mag maximum 72 uur op voorhand zijn uitgevoerd. Het bewijs van de negatieve test zal worden geïntegreerd in het elektronische PLF-formulier waarmee reizigers de QR-code aanmaken die vereist is bij hun aankomst in Spanje (cf. infra: Verplaatsingen per vliegtuig). Indien de procedure uitzonderlijk niet elektronisch is uitgevoerd, zal een fysiek bewijs (= attest) van de negatieve PCR-test, opgesteld in het Spaans of het Engels, aanvaard worden. De luchtvaartmaatschappijen en rederijen worden geacht vóór het aan boord gaan na te gaan of de reizigers wel degelijk in het bezit zijn van het vereiste attest.

A partir du 23 novembre, un test PCR négatif réalisé dans les 72 heures préalables à l’arrivée dans un port ou un aéroport espagnol sera exigé à tous les voyageurs (peu importe leur nationalité) provenant d’une zone à haut risque. La Belgique est actuellement considérée comme zone à haut risque. La preuve du test négatif sera intégrée dans le formulaire électronique PLF qui permet aux voyageurs d’obtenir le code QR nécessaire à l’entrée en Espagne (cf. infra : Déplacements en avion). Si, de façon exceptionnelle, la procédure n’a pu être effectuée par voie électronique, une preuve physique (=papier) du PCR négatif, rédigée en espagnol ou en anglais, sera acceptée. Les compagnies aériennes et maritimes sont censées vérifier avant l’embarquement que les voyageurs sont bien en possession de la preuve requise.


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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Interjet must obtain financing to resolve its financial situation and thus avoid going bankrupt, says the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation.

Norwegian will be given a maximum of five months in which to shed debt, sell assets and seek fresh capital, if bankruptcy protection in Ireland is accepted.

S7 Airlines proposes to extend the period for repayment of loans issued under the state support programme against the backdrop of a pandemic for air carriers until 2022.

Brazil’s airline industry appears to have bounced back from the strong impact of the pandemic, and in December 2020 expects to be operating at 80% of the capacity it registered in the same month last year.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Emirates is using two of its A380s as freighters now.

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Aegean Airlines may obtain state injection of around €120 million. Under the plan, the government would receive warrants in exchange for funds injected in the carrier. Aegean shareholders would in addition provide another €60 million.

Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu says the airline is open to providing refunds for cancelled flights in exchange for government aid, adding that the company has no interest in offering Ottawa an equity stake.

Air Serbia to benefit from the government pool of €100 million being allocated to ten companies in the 2021 state budget. Staff cuts of 300 employees and pay cuts in process at the airline.

Corsair to be granted a direct loan of more than €100 million from the French government, so the carrier can relaunch.

EuroAtlantic Airways asked the government for a joint cooperation solution with TAP Air Portugal that supports both airlines. euroAtlantic to present concrete proposals to be evaluated.

IATA says airlines will need US$70-80 billion in additional aid from governments to survive the crisis that is draining their cash flow.

Lufthansa plans to refinance the government convertible loans it had to take out because of the pandemic.

TAP Air Portugal expects to operate, in November and December 2020, about 30% of its capacity.

Vistara is considering starting direct flights to the US as the pandemic increases the demand for non-stop travel. Specific timeframe and aircraft requirements are yet to be finalised.

Nigeria’s government has given go-ahead to Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and Qatar Airways to resume their flight operations in Nigeria.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

AirAsia X aims to restart operations with two aircraft in 1Q 2021. as a low-cost medium-haul operator.

IATA announced a revised outlook for airline industry performance in 2020 and 2021. Deep industry losses will continue into 2021, even though performance is expected to improve over the period of the forecast. A net loss of US$118.5 billion is expected for 2020 and a net loss of $38.7 billion is expected in 2021.

KLM CEO Pieter Elbers says the airline will require more financial support, but it’s not sure when as of yet.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/air- ... rs-admits/

Qantas and subsidiary Jetstar are planning to ramp up their domestic flying from December 2020 as state border restrictions ease.

SAS is resuming flights on many routes over the holidays to meet the demand for travel to, from and within Scandinavia. SAS will offer a total of 129 routes to 82 destinations, including major cities such as Berlin, London, Paris, Rome, and Athens.

Norway plans to extend the duration of loan guarantees given to airlines to three years from two years originally. Norwegian was given guarantees worth some US$333.7 million in the early phase of the pandemic.

Spain’s Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Jose Luis Abalos, said that the rescue of Air Europa is a “strategic issue for the country” by protecting the Madrid air hub and preserving the Spanish air sector.

Vietnam plans to extend a 30% reduction in environment tax on jet fuel by one year until the end of 2021 to help local airlines weather the impact of the pandemic.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Air Europa is mulling job cuts after the airline received state aid and also to facilitate its sale to Iberia.

Air Kiribati has an undetermined delivery date of its second E190-E2, as aircraft is still on the Embraer production line following pandemic-related delays. It will be operated by Pionair (Australia).

ANA All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines should be merged, says Heizo Takenaka, a member of the government’s Growth Strategy Council, who also called for a capital injection for the country’s aviation industry.

EasyJet announces a reorganisation of operations in Italy to cope with the impact of the pandemic. The British airline reduces its presence in all three Italian bases, but only one aircraft will exit at Milan Malpensa.

General Electric warned of more job cuts at its aviation unit, citing a lengthy recovery for the airline industry from the impact of the crisis.

Lufthansa does not want to add any more aircraft to its fleet for the time being and is not planning further sale/leaseback transactions. Negotiations are currently underway for a B777F.

Philippine Airlines plans to seek court protection from creditors while it pursues debt restructuring with government help, as it fights to survive a pandemic that has battered the industry globally.

Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary expects passenger volumes to reach 70% of pre-COVID levels in 2021. The carrier to operate between 30-35% of its normal schedule this winter 2020/21.

Thai Lion Air plans to bring 3-5 aircraft back into service on domestic routes in 2021. The carrier is currently operating only 11 of its pre-pandemic fleet of 30 aircraft. The majority of the fleet having been returned to its parent in Indonesia.

US White House is considering rescinding entry bans for most non-US citizens who recently were in Brazil, Britain, Ireland and 26 other European countries.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Air Canada is now finalizing plans to convert several of its owned B767-300ERs to freighters to fully participate in global cargo commercial opportunities.

Air Tahiti Nui is expected to receive aid from the French government to the tune of €65 million, but discussions are continuing on what will be a state-guaranteed loan. Losses for 2020 are expected to reach €80 million.

Air Vanuatu will have some of the impacts of the pandemic softened by a €5 million funding boost approved by Parliament. The guarantee to help the carrier pay the outstanding cost of the lease for its B737-800 and a second ATR.

AirBaltic predicts losses of €250-280 million by end of 2020, as revenues per week are €1.1-1.5 million. The airline will turn to the government in 2021 for additional financial assistance if conditions to not improve. Cost cuts will also be weighed.

Avianca and pilots’ union agreed to establish as a priority the protection of the employment of hundreds of pilots, with a 50% salary reduction..

Avion Express of Lithuania has begun (Chapter 11 type) financial restructuring procedures to address the impact of the pandemic. The financial restructuring plan includes seeking in-court protection against creditors in upcoming weeks. The regular scope of operations will continue.

Delta Air Lines pilots voted in favour of pay cuts that would avoid furloughs until 2022.

El Al Israel Airlines is considering a bond sale to the public to stave off collapse after failing to reach a deal on a state-backed loan to help it recover from the pandemic. El Alnotified employees of an extension of unpaid leave until 31 December 2020. A total of 5,074 employees are on enforced leave, most since March 2020.

Hawaiian Airlines to end the practice of blocking off middle seats on 15 December 2020.

Russian airlines could require additional state funding to help them pay off debts built up as a result of the pandemic and a weakening rouble.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Air Algerie has resumed domestic flights on 06 December 2020, after months of being grounded due to the pandemic.

RwandAir is putting on hold the acquisition of new aeroplanes mainly due to the impact of the pandemic on business. The government says the expansion of the airline’s fleet will wait until business goes back to normal.

TAP Air Portugal restructuring plan provides for the dismissal of 500 pilots and a 25% reduction in their salaries. For 2021, the administration intends to hire 15 pilots for Portugalia.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:

Berlin-Brandenburg Airport to save costs by cutting jobs and by 2025, the company will cut 535 jobs.

Canada’s government said it’s prepared to spend US$755 million on supports and rent relief for Canadian airports. It did not, however, explain how it aims to help airlines.

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling on the government to provide “strong support” to the local airline industry due to the continued impact of the pandemic.
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