Coronavirus

But industry is optimistic that a step-change increase in demand and a return to profitability can be achieved by midyear.

The global airline industry’s long drawn-out recovery from the COVID-19 crisis is now being hindered by the omicron coronavirus variant but how much of an impact it will have during the first quarter remains unclear.

Cathay Pacific said it will fly a “skeleton passenger flight schedule” in January and has cancelled all cargo flights through at least Jan. 6 due to new regulations in Hong Kong.

The air cargo sector faces capacity pressure as it continues to transport COVID-19 vaccines around the world.

Chinese authorities' efforts to maintain the country's zero-COVID policy during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has been complicated after omicron cases were detected in two cities on Dec. 14.

Air France-KLM Group has paid back €500 million ($566 million) of the €4 billion loan guarantees provided by the French government during the COVID-19 crisis and said discussions on further capital strengthening measures are taking place at the group level.

The air cargo industry is justifiably proud of what it has achieved since those first COVID-19 vaccines took to the skies last December, but operators know the challenge is far from over and the vaccine effort will continue in 2022 against the backdrop of many broader challenges for the industry.

India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has announced that the suspension of most flights will be extended until midnight on Jan. 31, 2022.

While the return of some long-haul passenger activity will boost belly capacity, strong air cargo demand is set to boost cargo conversions.

Airline executives attending the World Aviation Festival in London say officials of smaller companies are returning to the air quicker than those of larger corporations, which remain bound by travel restrictions.

The airline industry anticipated a strong rebound in 2022, but more border closures and restrictions will make that harder to achieve.

Little is known about the new COVID-19 variant, but short-term flight bans and border closures are a concern for airlines.

Short-term blanket travel bans imposed on certain countries are not good news for an aviation industry that is still in recovery mode and had dared to hope that governments would adopt a more data-driven approach in response to emerging variants.

Despite the uncertainties caused by the emergence of omicron, easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said there remains a unique opportunity for easyJet to win customers and take market share from rivals over the winter.

Passenger numbers in the U.S. reached their highest levels since Spring 2020, but new concerns about the omicron coronavirus variant could threaten momentum during the winter travel season.

The recovery of air travel is under threat as countries look to insulate themselves from the new omicron coronavirus strain by re-imposing travel restrictions.

Despite near-term challenges such as the emerging Omicron coronavirus variant, the fundamentals for LCC success in the Asia-Pacific region remain strong.

The LCC is expecting to become an all-neo operator by 2027 once more new-generation aircraft are delivered by Airbus and its older A330s and A320ceos can be retired.

Aegean said the easing of travel restrictions and introduction of the EU Digital COVID Certificate meant the three-month period ending Sept. 30 was better for the airline.

The European Commission and UK authorities are taking steps to restrict travel from southern Africa after the emergence of a significantly mutated variant of COVID-19.

As travel restrictions are still in flux across Asia-Pacific, the region’s carriers fared differently in the month of October, with China’s three main airlines recording falls in traffic.

Air Canada was fined $4.5 million by the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) for “extreme delays” in providing customer refunds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boeing predicts that international and domestic travel will bounce back quickly in the Oceania region as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, and the manufacturer expects a strong demand for fleet replacement in the region in the longer term.

It is almost certain that some years from now, a new A&D behemoth will be born from GE Aviation. But when and how?

While the long-haul, low-cost business model was firmly established in the Asia-Pacific region before the COVID-19 crisis, it had yet to fully prove its long-term profitability.