Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

[Conti764]

Brussels airlines is not a belgian airlines, they can get their help from germany

Ridiculous. For what reason do you want to see SN go bankrupt?

[sean1982]

Brussels airlines is not a belgian airlines, they can get their help from germany.
Now they could argue help is needed for belgian employees, fair, but all sectors are suffering... and just for example, there 2x more dentists than brussels airlines employees

Name me one belgian airline then?

[PttU]

Brussels airlines is not a belgian airlines, they can get their help from germany.
Now they could argue help is needed for belgian employees, fair, but all sectors are suffering... and just for example, there 2x more dentists than brussels airlines employees

Name me one belgian airline then?

https://mobilit.belgium.be/nl/luchtvaar ... operatoren

[Passenger]

French aviation gets its first support:

From the European Commission's Competition division: "...CODIV-19 Moratoire sur le paiement de taxes et redevances aéronautiques en faveur des entreprises de transport public aérien sous licences d'exploitation délivrées par la France. Decision on 31.03.2020: decision not to raise objections..."

https://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojad ... 3_SA_56765

[sean1982]

Brussels airlines is not a belgian airlines, they can get their help from germany.
Now they could argue help is needed for belgian employees, fair, but all sectors are suffering... and just for example, there 2x more dentists than brussels airlines employees

Name me one belgian airline then?

https://mobilit.belgium.be/nl/luchtvaar ... operatoren

How many of those on that list are not funded by an foreign investment group?

[sean1982]

How many of those on that list are not funded by an foreign investment group?

Indeed. Just like in many other countries on this planet.
Unfortunately some people live on other planets, blame everything that is not 200% belgian but these guys would also not invest 1€ in anything either.

I have a lot of respect for those who create jobs in Belgium, even if it comes with foreign money. Absolutely none for narrow minded people we regularly read here.

completly agree 737MAX

[TLspotting]

Tweede Kamer of the Netherlands decided to postpone Lelystad Airport opening to November 2021.

Canaryfly suspends operations until 31 May.

Air Algérie suspends until further notice.

Air Greenland flies Nuuk - Keflavik - Copenhagen, using a Dash 8 Q200, for in total 8 hours of flight, with only essential passengers and cargo on board. Would be more interesting to let Kangerlussuaq open.

Some BRU news on the new routes (for now) :

APRIL

12 : LOT Polish Airlines launches Budapest BUD route
18 : Turkish Airlines switches to Anadolujet, restarting Istanbul SAW route
19 : Nouvelair Tunisie opens to Tunis TUN
21 : Aegean Airlines opens to Thessaloniki SKG

MAY

13 : TUI fly Belgium opens to Pula PUY
16 : TUI fly Belgium opens to Miami MIA
21 : Transavia France opens to Montpellier MPL
31 : TUI fly Belgium opens to Eskisehir AOE

JUNE

1 : Brussels Airlines opens to Montréal YUL
1 : SunExpress opens to Adana ADA
1 : Wizz Air opens to Budapest BUD
3 : Air Canada opens to Toronto YYZ (already mentionned)
3 : Corendon opens to Izmir ADB

[Passenger]

I have a lot of respect for those who create jobs in Belgium, even if it comes with foreign money. Absolutely none for narrow minded people we regularly read here.

completly agree 737MAX

It's very narrow minded to call other people who disagree, narrow minded.

[sean1982]

I have a lot of respect for those who create jobs in Belgium, even if it comes with foreign money. Absolutely none for narrow minded people we regularly read here.

completly agree 737MAX

It's very narrow minded to call other people who disagree, narrow minded.

Tiens, you do that all the time?

[sn26567]

Daily review:

Aurora of Russia seeks government support due to complications from the coronavirus.

BRA Braathens is pausing all traffic between 06 April and 31 May 2020 as demand had ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic.

El Al Israel Airlines is extending the suspension of all scheduled passenger flights until 02 May 2020 due to a drop in demand in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Frontier Airlines is cutting more than 90% of flight capacity nationwide in April 2020. The carrier is hoping to gradually add back service starting in May.

Japan Airlines will reduce approximately 85% of its international services through 30 April 2020.

JetBlue is cutting its roughly 200 daily flights in the New York metropolitan area by 80% to 40 a day due to the coronavirus.

Pobeda has reportedly ceased paying for aircraft leases after the airline announced the suspension of all flights. I guess Pobeda will not return to OST any time soon...

Qatar Airways plans a temporary reduction of 40% of staff at Hamad International Airport due to the coronavirus pandemic. The airline will soon be grounding 90% of its fleet, up from the current 75%, as demand continues to fall. Qatar Airways will place a temporary hold on flights to New York JFK from 01 April 2020 and to Madrid and Barcelona a few days later.

Volaris of Mexico will now reduce to approximately 80% of total operation from April 2020 versus the schedule originally published.

Yemenia to postpone all scheduled flights for 15 days beginning 01 April 2020 due to the coronavirus.

[Bracebrace]

Brussels airlines is not a belgian airlines, they can get their help from germany.
Now they could argue help is needed for belgian employees, fair, but all sectors are suffering... and just for example, there 2x more dentists than brussels airlines employees

Very very strange comparison. Comparing healthcare (local need) to transport (international need).

I suppose you consider dentists healthcare, I agree. However, many dentists have stepped up their game and went into the "healthcare for the rich" division. Dangerous discussion I prefer to avoid on an aviation forum (although it's burning inside not to start as my wife used to see one... finally conviced her to change... )

[Passenger]

No Air Belgium, nor Air Antwerp ? They prefer to give money to LH ? The SR story ?

No, according to the latest info leaking out (and HLN did publish it also a a bit ago) the Belgian government is looking if it's possible to take over Brussels Airlines from Lufthansa. They suspect that LH won't have the funds for SN and they deem SN necessary for the Belgian economy. So it seems that SN will become Belgian again... Biggest question will be at which price...

I think that not one airline can survive this corona crisis without intervention. Could be an intervention by not refunding passengers as per 261/2004 (airlines are issuing vouchers instead), could be by tax legislation (example: see homepage article: "European Commission approves French scheme deferring payment of certain taxes..."), could be by state aid via a loan, could by by state aid as a take over, ...

Regarding aid to Brussels Airlines and to TUI Airlines Belgium, both German-owned: I don't know what the conditions will be for German state aid to Lufthansa, but I do know that the German state aid for TUI AG (Germany) (€ 1,8B) is on condition that it's limited to the German division only. So the life jackets for German-owned Belgian airlines will have to come from inside Belgium.

Air Belgium: because their major shareholder Avia Invest refuses to publish its financial results and commitments, there is little chance for yet another series of regional or federal aid.

Air Antwerp: limited damage when compared to the others: one cheap aircraft and staff on technical unemployment. KLM will probably calculate the loss of a bankruptcy versus possible gains after recovery.

[flight3333]

IATA estimates $23 billion revenue loss for African & Middle Eastern airlines

https://www.aeronewsx.com/post/iata-est ... n-airlines

[Homo Aeroportus]

Got an email this afternoon from Ambabel Bamako.
I was supposed to be there but cancelled at last moment.

Translation :
There will be a repatriation flight tomorrow 03APR at midday (time to be specified) bound for Paris.
Places are limited, please confirm quickly before 12 noon if you wish to be on the list, other flights are not currently planned.
Check-in time and departure terminal to be defined,
- 23 kg of checked baggage per person plus hand luggage.
- Drinks, but no food, will be served on board.
- All passengers must have the travel documents necessary to enter the Schengen area.
- All passengers must be in good health. A medical check will be carried out at the check-in of passengers, including the temperature measurement. COVID 19 suspected cases will not be able to register.
- All passengers must present themselves wearing a protective mask (EUCAP cannot provide these masks).
- Our partner in charge of the flight will not be able to take charge of you or accompany you in your efforts when you arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Please note that you must make your arrangements in order to reach Belgium.
- A financial contribution will be requested per passenger, before boarding the plane you must sign an acknowledgment of debt to the Belgian state.

Second email minutes later :
Please note on the last point that the flight organizer requires actual payment on the spot and no acknowledgment of debt.
Plan a maximum of 150 € per passenger or 99,000 FCFA
In the absence of payment, access to the plane will not be authorized.

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

Probably good news for those stranded in BKO but Belgians still to hitch-hike at CDG to return home.

No info on who will operate this flight.

Note : (EUCAP cannot provide these masks) EUCAP is an EU mission in Mali to help build the Police force, aside of the EUTM for the military.


H.A.

[TLspotting]

Bordeaux Airport closed for commercial flights until further notice.

[Atlantis]

Some good news. Emirates will resume faster certain flights to Europe.

Also to BRU they will fly as from next week Monday 3 times a week. But they will only fly pax from dubai, no pax from BRU

Of course they will take also the opportunity to take a lot of cargo as prices are 5 to 20 times higher now

Source: Luchtvaartnieuws

[sn26567]

Source: Luchtvaartnieuws

No need to go to The Netherlands to find that information. It was readily available on this website :

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/emir ... m-april-6/

[sn26567]

Daily review:

Aeromexico to now reduce April 2020 capacity by 60% for international routes, and 50% for domestic routes.

Air Europa parent Globalia is seeking state aid and a loan of €125 million, while the carrier’s purchase is likely to be delayed as IAG looks to preserve cash.

Air New Zealand will operate a limited domestic schedule from 03 April 2020 to enable essential travel only and to keep air freight moving. Overall, domestic capacity will reduce by 95% YoY.

Airbus, Rolls-Royce and London Heathrow Airport have all written separately to Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, to urge the UK government to support Virgin Atlantic.

American Airlines is offering partial paid leave in April 2020 to nearly 1,500 pilots who volunteered to help the carrier pare down its payrolls following a drop in passenger traffic.

Boeing is set to offer buyout and early retirement packages to employees, in a bid to mitigate the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

British Airways has reached an agreement with trade unions to apply the UK Job Retention Scheme to more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground-based employees in April and May 2020. BA has also reached an agreement with its 4,000 pilots to take four weeks of unpaid leave in April and May.

British Airways is expected to announce the suspension of about 36,000 of its employees, that will include suspension of jobs of 80% of BA’s cabin crew, ground staff, engineers and those working at head office.

EasyJet received confirmation that it is eligible to access funding under the COVID Corporate Financing Facility.

Embraer presented a proposal for a temporary suspension of the employment contract and reduction of wages to workers of their local units, says metalworkers’ union.

IAG has now decided to reduce capacity further to an approximately 90% reduction in April and May 2020 compared to last year. The previous figure was a 75% reduction.

IATA strengthened its call for urgent action from governments in Africa and the Middle East to provide financial relief to airlines as the latest IATA scenario for potential revenue loss by carriers in Africa and the Middle East reached US$23 billion.

Kenya Airways announced it had stopped all passenger flights for the first time in four decades following the shutdown airports in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

KLM is not considering a break with its parent, Air France-KLM, as the company attempts to cope with the financial consequences of the coronavirus outbreak.

LATAM will only operate 5% of its regularly scheduled passenger flights in April 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis.

Mahogany Air and Proflight Zambia both announced the temporary suspension of operations until 30 April 2020.

RwandAir plans to continue operating “cargo” flights with its aircraft, to generate income amid the global downturn.

SATA to appeal to all the tools at its disposal, including support from the EU, to cover the costs generated by the negative impacts of the pandemic.

TAP Air Portugal announced the suspension of all flights, as 90% of its workforce to take leave due to the effects on demand from the pandemic.

Thai Airways International will stop flying for two months and the company has asked employees to take two months off from 04 April to 31 May 2020.

Ukraine International Airlines will lose US$60 million by the time the nationwide quarantine ends on 24 April 2020, says president Yevgenii Dykhne. UIA is seeking state support.

Australia’s government has no intention granting Virgin Australia a loan for US$852 million. The state is likely to facilitate the entry of a new carrier into the domestic market, rather than bail out the carrier should it not survive.

China’s domestic flights rose by about 20% in March 2020 from the previous month, but that was still less than half the flights before the shutdowns due to the coronavirus, showing the sector is recovering only gradually.

[rwandan-flyer]

To see the traffic of flightradar24 currently, we are far from confinement.
And it's not just repatriation flights or cargo ...
As we said in french...on n'est pas sorti de l'auberge !

Some airlines still operating sheculded flights, but it will decrease, from the next week , as more and more countries put confinement rules.

Air France should cut all domestic flights, next week, till at least may 2020. Paris Orly will close. More and more French airports are closing. At Roissy we will close the Terminal 1 / Terminal 2C / 2A / 2E gates M (S3).

Only 2F (Air France domestic and UE flights), 2D (because Belavia and Bulgraria Air still serving CDG) and 2E gate K will be open, at least till 6 April 2020. After, probably more terminals will close.

Yesterday, at the work, i saw an Emirates B777-300ER A6-ENM parked at the cargo ramp, at Paris CDG. But no pax, only Emirates containers unloaded and loaded. Aircraft was using the Emirates flights numbers normaly used for the DXB CDG service. But flight wasn't listed on Paris Aeroports website.

If it is "probably" or if it is "next week" then there is no emergency. It is not your fault, of course, rwandan-flyer ... yet I feel a slight runaway of the problem ... even at Boris or at Donald's, that is to say! But maybe I'm wrong. In the meantime the Covid19 can still clearly travel in the lungs of a passenger ...while it is said that 2/3 of humanity is confined ... strange!

Decisions to close an airport an airport, are made several days in advance, based on airlines capacities and Air traffic forecasts. Most of projections at this time are based on repatriations flights

In addition, by announcing the closure several days in advance, it enable to the last passengers to organize themselves, to back to the home.

Look at the mess, when Morocco has closed its borders, without warning anyone.

Then you have set up a new organization, for the airport. Because even if an airport is closed to the public, there are still staff working (technicians, safety & security staff, pharmacy, nursery, cleaning staff, air traffic controllers, ...). Companies have to make new work planning in order to maintain a presence of staff, based on Airport needs, beacause you can have cargo, Sanitary Evacuation, and sometimes organ transplant flights.

You can't do this in 24 hours, before the airport closure. There are meeting several days before, the closing. There is no manual to close an airport, during a health crisis, like this.

How do you close an airport? (31Mar2020)

Consequence of the epidemic due to the coronavirus, Orly airport closes its doors Tuesday evening for an indefinite period. It will still continue to accommodate state flights, medical flights and emergency diversions.

[...]

But you don't close an airport like you shut the shutters of a vacation home. Before deciding "to stop the commercial exploitation of Orly, we first contacted the State, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC), the airlines as well as with the various service providers Who work on the platform, says Michel Landelle, head of operations for the aeronautical areas of Paris Orly.

[...]

Airbus and Airbus Boeing companies will not remain stationary on the tarmac. They will indeed have to do a few turns of the wheels " to avoid the formation of flats on the tires," says Landelle. During their parking, the devices will also be subject to numerous and repeated maintenance operations "every seven to ten days" .

[...]

At Orly, Groupe ADP retains "a team to keep the airport operational and able to resume activity" when the crisis is over. When the green light is given by the authorities, "it will take between two and four days to get the airport going again" .

https://translate.google.fr/translate?h ... _3234.html

[TLspotting]

All pilots of Tigerair Australia lost their jobs...

Spanish Embassy in Kenya says that 2 flights are outbound Uganda, one of Qatar Airways (Friday), the other one of Brussels Airlines (Saturday) :

Stuttgart Airport runway works, earlier than expected :

Due to the corona crisis, the construction project starts earlier than planned. There will be no flight operations at Stuttgart Airport during the early construction work from 6 to 22 April. Flights such as cargo flights with medical goods or rescue flights will be diverted during this phase.

Immediately following the early construction work, the partial renewal of the runway will take place in two phases, each lasting 28 days, starting on 23 April.

From 23 April to 20 May 2020, aircraft will use a shortened runway with a maximum length of 1,965 meters. In this phase, constructions must be carried out during the day and at night in the area directly in front of the interim runway. During this time, there will be no flights between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Overnight airmail flights, rescue flights and other exceptions to the regular night flight restrictions are also not possible.

From 21 May to 17 June 2020, planes will take off and land on a runway that is expected to be 2,475 meters long. During this construction phase, all night flights that are operated in accordance with the applicable night flight restrictions may take off and land again.