Airline News
Etihad to roll-out medical testing in Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways will partner with Australian company Elenium Automation to trial new technology which allows self-service devices at airports to be used to help identify travellers with medical conditions.
Calls to block aviation bailouts on environmental grounds
Governments are asked to use the coronavirus crisis to embed social and environmental conditions, with enhanced protection for workers and a planned transition towards what the campaign group Stay Grounded calls “climate-just mobility”.
IATA postpones annual general meeting
The event, which was due to run alongside the World Air Transport Summit, had been scheduled to take place in Amsterdam in late June. New dates are expected to be confirmed in due course.
easyJet secures £600m in government funding
easyJet has issued £600 million of commercial paper through the Covid Corporate Financing Facility. The decision comes as the low-cost carrier seeks to maximise its liquidity in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
airBaltic cuts capacity by half over summer
As the coronavirus crisis continues, significantly affecting demand for air travel, airBaltic has further decrease its overall capacity between until the end of October. The Latvia-based airline will cancel approximately 50 per cent of its flights over the summer.
TUI Airways cabin crew join NHS fight against coronavirus
The expertise and first aid training of TUI Airways cabin crew will be utilised across hospitals nationwide. The news comes as TUI UK supports a new St John Ambulance scheme to help tackle the coronavirus by relieving pressure on the NHS.
Airbus delivers millions of face masks to European partners
Airbus has continued to purchase and supply millions of face masks from China, the large majority of which will be donated to governments of the Airbus home countries. These include France, Germany, Spain and the UK.
Norwegian sees passenger numbers fall two thirds in March
The global outbreak of Covid-19 has decimated the latest traffic figures from Norwegian. The company experienced a dramatic drop in demand last month following government-imposed travel restrictions and a general travel decline.
Etihad to expand flight schedule from Sunday
Etihad will operate a regular service to a number of destinations starting with Seoul Incheon, and following with others such as Melbourne, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta and Amsterdam.
Lufthansa extends coronavirus cuts until early May
The decision also means that all remaining flights of the original flight schedule before May 3rd will be cancelled. Flights which were planned to operate until April 24th were cancelled at an earlier date.
Aviation capacity falls dramatically in first week of April
Analysis by ForwardKeys has revealed that the Covid-19 crisis has brought the aviation industry to its knees. In the week to April 5th, international airline seat capacity fell to just 23 per cent of what it was in the first week of April last year.
Heathrow Airport to operate with one runway
Heathrow will close one of its two runways from Monday following the collapse in aviation demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The hub airport is usually among the busiest in world and operates at near 100 per cent capacity all-year round.