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:

Air Canada has informed 1,500 of its workers that they’ll soon be out of jobs as a result of new travel restrictions and a lack of demand for flying.

Etihad plans to rebuild operations around the B787 and A350 once lockdowns ease, spelling an uncertain future for the B777-9 and the A380.

Jet2 has announced a new wave of cancellations in response to ongoing travel restrictions in the UK, and has now cancelled all trips until 14 April 2021.

Kenya Airways pilots have opposed the latest wave of pay cuts by the carrier as they say it goes against their Collective Bargaining Agreement with the airline.

LATAM Airlines Group reports its operational estimate for February 2021, which could reach 35% compared to the previous year. The figure is lower than that announced for January, in which the operation reached 39.8% of previous year’s capacity.

Canary Islands airline driven by local hoteliers will begin to fly in 2021 if they can navigate around the impact from the pandemic.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Air Namibia goes into voluntary liquidation / dissolution:
https://www.namibian.com.na/98834/read/ ... iquidation

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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Passenger wrote: 11 Feb 2021, 09:01 Air Namibia goes into voluntary liquidation / dissolution:
https://www.namibian.com.na/98834/read/ ... iquidation
Sad

Once again the same problems in Africa, the state which has a too big presence, people unable to manage an airline.

Despite all troubles, this airline had rather good reputation among Namibians, even if most of them were aware that it could not continue like this (bail out, bail out,...).

Namibia was for many years off the radar of international airlines (except German "charter" airllines). Air Namibia has served Switzerland, the UK and Germany. Namibia is a large country and some areas are difficult to access.

On the domestic market and to Johannesburg and Cape Town, Westair will surely take over some routes with the ERJs acquired from Air Namibia and for South Africa Comair and Airlink are already present in Namibia.

But for others regional routes, Durban, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola, it's hard to know. Aviation will grow in Africa mainly thanks to the "regional" market, but most of airlines based in these countrires are in big trouble. It's not like in Europe where an airline quickly arrives to replace another one .

In a few months Africa has lost two of its 4 oldest airlines :( (South Africa Airways and Air Namibia). Egytpair and Ethiopian don't make mistakes 8-)
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren says a successful rollout of vaccine programs across Europe will translate into strong international traffic growth during the 2021 summer season.

Ryanair is calling on the European Commission to stop the public aid granted to Air France, and for it to give up coveted flight slots at Paris and Lyon.

European Parliament approved measures to suspend competitive access to airport slots throughout the summer as the coronavirus travel slump drags on.

https://www.aviation24.be/organisations ... -proposal/

US airlines are scheduled to meet virtually with the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator to discuss a number of travel-related issues.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Air New Zealand to receive state participation in the proposed equity capital raise to be completed by 30 June 2021, in order to maintain a majority shareholding in the carrier.

BER airport aims to be profitable in the mid-2020s, but only with the help of further public financial aid, says CFO Aletta von Massenbach. If it's with state aid, it is not really profitable, is it?

Cathay Pacific is cutting all flights to Australia except for Sydney as the Hong Kong carrier grapples with new government pandemic restrictions.

Cirium reports intra-European international seat capacity has fallen by 50% across 10 of the continent’s busiest airports since the holiday period.

SWISS to extend its present minimal operations from and to Geneva Airport until 27 March 2021, due to low current booking levels and tightened travel restrictions.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/luft ... -27-march/

TAP Air Portugal has reached agreements with 15 union structures that will reduce the number of redundancies from 2,000 to 800.

Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau insisted Ottawa would ensure airlines survived the pandemic even as industry advocates said that without a promised aid package many routes would die, crippling the economy.

US House committee approved a proposal to give airlines another US$14 billion in payroll assistance as part of a broader COVID-19 relief package that is working its way through Congress.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Air Malta is losing some €170,000 every day in operational losses as the airline was facing losses of some €62 million for the entire year. The carrier will be expected to provide a picture of its financial health to win EU permission for state aid.

American Airlines Group is weighing a return to the debt market as soon as March 2021 to help pay back loans from the US government that have helped keep the company afloat through the pandemic.

Boliviana de Aviacion is carrying out a restructuring process to guarantee the sustainability of the company after the losses due to the pandemic, which left it with a short-term debt of US$40 million.

Condor wants to have the EU conditions for the billions in government aid to the competitor Lufthansa judicially checked. As a result, the holiday airline has filed a suit with the Court of the EU in Luxembourg.

Ethiopian Airlines says the decision to temporarily convert 25 passenger aircraft for cargo operations has helped the carrier become “cash positive” during the crisis.

Jeju Air of South Korea is returning six aircraft in 2021, reducing the number of planes from 44 to 38 due to low demand.

Spirit Airlines plans to start training new pilots and flight attendants as early as March 2021 as the carrier positions itself for a travel rebound.

Star Peru has suspended its operations indefinitely due to travel restrictions and a drop in cash flow by 80% in the first week of February 2021.

Israel says Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport can accommodate up to 2,000 passengers a day. Flights will be distributed evenly between Israeli and foreign airlines.

US DOT is making nearly US$2 billion in federal grant funding available to help airports affected by COVID-19 under the FAA Airport Coronavirus Response Grant Program.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Oman Air has abandoned its plans to upgrade its fleet and is contemplating a reduction to 36 aircraft. The airline also plans to focus more on codesharing with other airlines.

Ryanair fight against state aid for airlines will put loosened EU rules to the test this week when the bloc’s second-highest court decides on support offered to Air France and SAS.

Portugal may have to provide more than the €500 million it budgeted for TAP in 2021 due to the pandemic.

Singapore to allocate US$657.6 million in financial support in 2021 to airlines and other aviation players, as the government continues its assistance for the industry.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Air Canada intends to have seven freighters in operation by 2021 end, as it plans to add more converted B767s.

Austrian Airlines plans to continuously increase the flight schedule until summer 2021. More than 20 destinations will be resumed for the summer flight programme, including some intercontinental routes.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/luft ... n-hanover/

Ryanair lost its fight against the state aid granted to rivals including Air France and SAS after a top European court said such schemes were not discriminatory amid the pandemic.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/air- ... state-aid/

German pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit says activating the EU-Qatar Air Transport Agreement CATA at this time would cause severe damage for Europe and would therefore be irresponsible. The union is requesting the EU to block the agreement.

https://www.aviation24.be/trade-unions/ ... t-on-hold/

South Korea MLIT grants Air Premia and Aero K an extended time frame to begin the operation of their service amid the ongoing pandemic. They now have until December 2021.

Ukraine needs to develop a state strategy to support domestic airlines in connection with negative consequences of the pandemic, says Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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TAP Air Portugal and its pilots reached an agreement to dismiss 200 pilots, while transferring 200 more to Portugalia.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Air France KLM announces that it will let go of another 6,000 employees in the coming years. Air France-KLM is poised to get a fresh government bailout within weeks after burning through €1.9 billion in 4Q 2020 as a resurgent pandemic delayed any recovery in air travel.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/air- ... -for-2020/

Tarom will make redundant 700 of its current employment of 1,492 and close 11 offices abroad.

Ukraine International Airlines announces that it will start gradually rebuilding its network on 01 March 2021. The airline resumes flights from Kyiv to Geneva and Prague, as well as Kyiv to Larnaca, Vilnius, Barcelona and Chisinau.. Flights between Odesa and Istanbul will also be restored.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/ukra ... n-1-march/

US airlines are lobbying the Biden administration to back a big increase in subsidies for lower-carbon aviation fuel, arguing new incentives are needed to help fight climate change and will also make their recovery from the pandemic much greener.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Asiana Airlines has converted two additional A350-900s into cargo planes to offset a sharp decline in demand.

Orange2fly of Greece was denied an €8.5 million loan from the National Bank of Greece in order to cope with the effects of the pandemic. The carrier was declared unsustainable by the bank.

Singapore Airlines removed one of its A380s, serial 079, from storage in Alice Springs for an earlier than planned cabin refurbishment.
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AirAsia Thailand is set to reinstate all its flight routes from Bangkok in March 2021, followed by the resumption of all its domestic flights across Thailand by April.

DAT and JoinJet (both of Denmark) are considering converting existing passenger aircraft to freighters, as the demand for cargo aircraft is so great.

Edelweiss is mulling the reduction of its long-haul fleet by a third and relying entirely on its A340. A definitive decision has yet to be made.

Luxair CEO Gilles Feith said the airline was doing “very badly” and that it should “cut costs wherever possible”.

SWISS has written to the Federal Council a letter “on an assessment of the situation and not an emergency appeal”. The carrier assures it is not in financial difficulty, but confirms that job cuts will take place because of the pandemic.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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sn26567 wrote: 22 Feb 2021, 18:20 Orange2fly of Greece was denied an €8.5 million loan from the National Bank of Greece in order to cope with the effects of the pandemic. The carrier was declared unsustainable by the bank.
The airline is under insolvency threat (in Greek) : https://www.newsbreak.gr/epixeiriseis/1 ... -i-aitisi/

Another topic :
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:

Air Tahiti Nui to send two B787s into storage at Goodyear, Arizona, with the first aircraft, serial 39297, arriving yesterday.

Brussels Airlines plans to operate 60 short- and medium-haul routes in summer 2021, next to 18 intercontinental destinations in Africa and North America.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/luft ... frankfurt/

Czech Airlines told the Labour Office that it plans to lay off all its 430 employees. Parent Smartwings and CSA are currently under a protective moratorium against creditors until the end of February 2021. The group wants non-repayable state support of US$51.6 million.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/czec ... hreatened/

Qatar Airways has told some pilots made redundant during the pandemic that they should apply to rejoin the airline as it plans to increase services.

SITA data shows that flight volumes in 2020 plunged 44% year-on-year due to the pandemic. As a result of this impact on demand, IATA forecast the airline industry’s full-year loss at US$118 billion.

Volotea to replace its 14 B717s early, with between 15 and 19 A320s, as part of the carrier’s strategic, financial and operational plans in the context of the crisis from the pandemic. The airline has already ordered 15 A320s, to which it will add another four depending on summer 2021 demand. This is an investment of more than US$1.5 billion.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/volo ... bus-fleet/

UK global travel task force will issue a report on 12 April 2021 recommending how international travel can safely restart. The lockdown ban on most international travel will stay until at least 17 May 2021.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Daily review:
sn26567 wrote: 24 Feb 2021, 16:53 Air Tahiti Nui to send two B787s into storage at Goodyear, Arizona, with the first aircraft, serial 39297, arriving yesterday.
Air Tahiti Nui clarifies it will only send one B787 into storage at Goodyear, Arizona — serial 39297.

Corendon and Sunweb have criticised the move by KLM to set up a holiday unit via the acquisition of Airtrade, given that KLM has been given billions of euros in support from the Dutch state, and is in talks on further financing. That's an interesting concept: using state aid to expand rather than to pay for debts!

IATA released a new analysis showing that the airline industry is expected to remain cash negative throughout 2021. At the industry level, airlines are now not expected to be cash positive until 2022. Estimates for cash burn in 2021 have ballooned to the US$75-95 billion range.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/iata ... fore-2022/

Qantas and subsidiary Jetstar are now planning to restart regular international passenger flights to most destinations from 31 October 2021. Qantas could be forced by a federal court to re-hire 2,000 ground handers already made redundant, says the TWU union, pending a hearing in April 2021.

SWISS does not expect to see any tangible resumption of air travel activity until mid-summer 2021at the earliest. The carrier expects to be able to return its operations to around 65% of its 2019 capacity in the course of the 3Q period. A total of 85 destinations will be served from Zurich and 43 from Geneva in the 2021 SWISS summer schedules.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/luft ... r-onwards/
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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El Al Israel Airlines has begun the process of laying off the first batch of 1,600 employees. The carrier is in talks for a US$300 million loan from multiple financiers with an 82.5% state guarantee, as part of the government’s rescue plan.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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AAPA reports that Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 1.3 million international passengers in January 2021, just 3.9% of the same month last year. Offered seat capacity was 12.1% of the January 2020 volume, while the international PLF averaged 27% for the month, down 54 points.

Air Malta had its state aid drawn up sent back to the drawing board by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, as the original plan apparently deemed unsatisfactory by the EU.

Air Seychelles began a voluntary redundancy as part of its evaluation of its manpower plan in order to sustain long-term operations.

Czech Airlines has filed in a Prague court for a reorganisation under solvency law as it grapples with a drop in revenue during the pandemic.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/czec ... hreatened/

GoAir of India has received a US$108.5 million credit line from banks which will help the airline navigate through the pandemic.

Cape Verde’s deputy prime minister, Olavo Correia, said that only “public intervention” can make Cabo Verde Airlines fly again, after 11 months of standstill, stating that the company needs around US$18 million.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says airlines will not lose vital take-off and landing slots at UK airports even if they continue to operate fewer flights than normal over the summer.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Avianca Holdings will suspend 24 international routes, with plans to resume them once the effects of the pandemic subside.

Croatia Airlines is expected to remain state-owned until at least 2023, when the estimated recovery period begins.

LATAM Airlines Group to convert up to eight B767-300ERs into Boeing Converted Freighters in the next three years. First four to be redelivered between 2021 and 2022, and four more between 2022 and 2023.

Porter Airlines of Canada to now resume flights on 19 May 2021, an almost two-month delay.

Thai Airways International to cut its workforce by half to at least 13,000 and reduce its fleet to 86 aircraft by 2025, consisting of five types, as the flag carrier submitted its turnaround plan.
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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AirBaltic is working on several scenarios for market developments in 2021. In the worst case, the airline will need additional state support, says CEO Martin Gauss.

IATA said that the crisis deepened for airlines in January 2021, as international traffic plunged 86% in the month compared to pre-crisis levels, and domestic air traffic was down 47%.

https://www.aviation24.be/organisations ... l-further/
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Re: Impact of the coronavirus crisis on aviation

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Airlines for America made the case to US lawmakers for a third round of federal government assistance, as US airlines remain in “dire straits”.

Austrian Airlines is currently whether any of the approximately 60 aircraft which will still be in operation after the crisis should be taken out of service in the long run. The majority of Dash aircraft could be retired and the sale of seven A319s is still in planning.

Lufthansa may permanently ground more jets to emerge leaner from the pandemic, beginning with all aircraft older than 25 years, but possibly also the A340-600s and the A380s.
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