Aviation Daily Roundup: March 10
March 10, 2020
Austrian Airlines To Cut Employee Work Hours
Credit: Nigel Howarth / AWST
Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines has applied to temporarily reduce work hours for its 7,000 employees as the airline copes with a dramatic drop in demand because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Eurocontrol Nurtures AI In Air Traffic Management
Credit: DSNA
Eurocontrol and partners including Airbus, IATA and Thales have issued a report aimed at helping advance the use of artificial intelligence in aviation and especially air traffic management.
Boeing Confirms COVID-19 Case At Everett
Credit: Credit: Boeing
Boeing has asked co-workers of an employee at its Everett facility who tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus to stay at home and self-monitor.
European Airports Facing ‘Full Blown Crisis,’ Industry Group Warns
Credit: Groupe ADP
European airports are facing “a shock of unprecedented proportions,” airports industry group ACI Europe said Mar. 10, as it called for airports, airlines, national governments and the European Union to work together to face what ACI termed a “full blown crisis.”
UK Seeks Designers For Major Airspace Restructuring
Credit: Bill Carey
The UK will need people skilled in airspace design as it rolls out a major, nation-wide update of its airspace system, British Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps has said.
Philippines To Defer Airport Fees For Local Airlines
Credit: Manila International Airport Authority
To assist airlines with easing their overheads amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has announced that it will defer land, take off and parking fees for local airlines for a year.
Thailand Requiring Health Certificates From Passengers
Credit: Boeing
Airlines flying from “disease infected zones” to Thailand must now obtain health certificates from passengers confirming they are not infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus before they are allowed to board flights to the country.
Norwegian To Start Lay-Offs, Cut Capacity
Credit: Norwegian
Norwegian has come out with a dramatic call for help from governments as the airline decided to make deep cuts to its capacity and lay off “a significant share of its workforce.”
Air France To Cut 3,600 March Flights As Outbreak Crisis Worsens
Credit: Rob Finlayson
Air France plans to cut 3,600 flights in March as a result of the worsening COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Finnair, Neste Sign Deal To Boost Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Credit: Neste
Finnair has signed an agreement with Finnish oil company Neste to increase the airline’s use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and boost production capacity in Finland. Neste already produces SAF at a pilot plant in Porvoo, Finland and is expanding its commercial renewable-fuel refinery in Singapore.
U.S. Legacy Carriers Slash Capacity, Costs Amid Demand Slowdown
Credit: American Airlines
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced their most sweeping capacity reductions to date, as the reaction to the global spread of COVID-19 has airlines scrambling to trim their schedules and slash costs.
Italy Flight Cancellations Mount As COVID-19 Lockdown Expands
Credit: Credit: Matt Cardy / Getty Images
Spain is banning all flights from Italy until Mar. 25, following the Italian government’s expansion of a lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus to the entire country.
China Cuts Airport, Airway Charges For Foreign, Chinese Carriers
Credit: BCIA
China is cutting airport and airway charges as part of its response to the Wuhan virus epidemic, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.
China Southern, Air China Increasing U.S. Flights
Credit: Rob Finlayson
Two big Chinese airlines are increasing services to the U.S., recovering a little from the reduction to minimal levels applied shortly after the coronavirus outbreak became recognized in late January.
Carriers Scramble To Boost Passenger Confidence
Credit: Delta Air Lines
North American airlines, reacting to a sharp and unexpected decline in bookings in response to COVID-19, have ramped up communications aimed at reassuring the traveling public that they are taking extra steps to prevent the virus from spreading.
Europe To Ease Slot Rules To Help Airlines Weather COVID-19 Crisis
Credit: London Luton Airport
The European Commission will “very rapidly” put in place temporary measures to allow airlines to keep their slots even if COVID-19-related declines in traffic mean they do not operate flights.
Spirit Airlines Trims Near-Term Capacity 5% On Yield Decline
Credit: Rob Finlayson
Spirit Airlines, citing declining yields but not the falloff in bookings that most other U.S. carriers are facing, will trim its planned April capacity 5% and could extend the cuts deeper into the spring if necessary.
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