Coronavirus News
UK government unveils measures to support economy
On Monday, prime minister Boris Johnson urged Brits to avoid pubs, clubs and restaurants, with the impact likely to be crippling for many small businesses.
ABTA calls on government support for tourism sector
ABTA is calling for urgent action by the government to help businesses in the short-term by making funds readily available to travel and tourism companies.
Breaking Travel News investigates: An open letter from the World Travel & Tourism Council
The World Travel & Tourism Council has implored governments around the world to take drastic and immediate action to protect and preserve the tourism sector in an open letter
Millions of airline seats lost to US coronavirus ban
A report by ForwardKeys has revealed that the United States’ transatlantic travel ban has now put a total of 3.3 million plane seats in jeopardy.
Air New Zealand pauses ticket sales, cuts flights
Air New Zealand is further reducing capacity across its network as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on travel demand. The airline placed itself into a trading halt today to allow it time to more fully assess the operational and financial impacts of global travel restrictions.
AITO calls for relief from package travel regulations
AITO has called on the government to offer support to the hundreds of small- and medium-sized tour operators severely impacted by the outbreak of coronavirus.
Philippines quarantine sees Cebu Pacific ground flights until April
Cebu Pacific will suspend all flight operations from Thursday until April 14th. The Philippine government recently implemented an enhanced community quarantine over Luzon, and similar directives across various provinces in the country.
Virgin Atlantic to drastically cut operations until end of April
Virgin Atlantic will reduce its schedule by approximately 80 per cent in terms of flights per day by March 26th. The move comes following a rapid acceleration of the impact of Covid-19 on global aviation and tourism.
Austrian Airlines to ground all flights from Thursday
Austrian Airlines has announced it will temporarily suspend all scheduled flight operations as of Thursday. The Lufthansa-owned carrier said it was reacting to restrictions imposed by many countries in response to the increased spread of the coronavirus.
Ryanair moots grounding entire fleet as European travel restrictions bite
Malta, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Greece, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, Norway and Cyprus are among those destinations to have imposed flight bans of varying degrees.
TUI suspends vast majority of travel operations
Tour operator TUI has temporarily suspends the “vast majority” of all travel operations due to an outbreak of Covid-19 around the world. The company added it would apply for state aid guarantees to support the business until normal operations are resumed.
IAG announces huge capacity cuts, Walsh to remain as chief executive
International Airlines Group plans to cut capacity by at least 75 per cent in April and May as the company battles the coronavirus pandemic around the world. In light of the situation, chief executive Willie Walsh has also postponed his retirement.