Qantas has revealed plans to suspend all scheduled international flights for at least two months because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The reduced operations mean two-thirds of its staff will be stood down.
Air New Zealand and Qantas are making further major cuts in capacity, suspending most international flights and grounding aircraft in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Qantas will ground most of its Airbus A380 fleet for the next six months after announcing further deep cuts to international capacity citing a significant drop in demand caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Qantas expects to take a major financial hit from capacity reductions related to the COVID-19 outbreak, although the airline remains on track to make some significant aircraft order moves this year.
Qantas has reportedly reiterated that it needs to reach a deal with its pilots by the end of March so it can finalize an order for Airbus A350-1000s to operate new ultra-long-haul routes.
As 2019 draws to a close, Routesonline revisits some of the biggest stories making the headlines. Part one of our review looks at the first six months of the year, featuring Thai Lion Air, Air Transat, airBaltic, Qantas, Jet Airways and more.
Qantas has selected European manufacturer Airbus to supply up to 12 A350-1000 aircraft capable of flying the world’s longest commercial routes from the east coast of Australia to London and New York. The Oneworld member will make a decision whether to push ahead with its ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise plans in March 2020.
This week: Iberia plans to return to Washington Dulles after a decade; Qantas to end Beijing service; and Turkish Airlines increases service to the New York area.
This week: easyJet and Jet2 confirm Thomas Cook slot purchases; Transavia to open Montpellier base; American and Qantas implement JV; passenger demand remains sluggish – IATA; and Cebu Pacific firms A330-900 order.
American Airlines is expanding service to New Zealand from next year, becoming the only carrier to fly non-stop from the US to the country’s South Island.
This week: Spirit orders up to 150 Airbus A320neos; Qantas and Virgin secure one Haneda slot each; Aeroflot to open Krasnoyarsk hub; Etihad and Saudia extend codeshare partnership and more.
Qantas could open ultra-long-haul routes from Australia to a variety of destinations in Europe and North America, chief executive Alan Joyce has said after the airline completed a test of the longest non-stop commercial passenger flight.
Qantas is to undertake three ultra long-haul research flights as part of its planning to operate non-stop routes from the east coast of Australia to London and New York. Chief executive Alan Joyce said there was “plenty of enthusiasm” for the routes, with a decision over their launch expected before the end of the year.
Qantas has received final approval to form a joint business with American Airlines, but its hopes for a new codeshare deal with Cathay Pacific on flights between Hong Kong and Australia have been thwarted.
