Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on commercial air transport

Passengers with full medical hazmat suits disembarking from a repatriation flight operated by Vietnam Airlines. On the ground, there were staffs and crews spraying sanitizing solution onto the deboarded passengers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the airline industry due to travel restrictions and a decimation in demand among travelers.

Significant reductions in passenger numbers have resulted in flights being cancelled or planes flying empty between airports, which in turn massively reduced revenues for airlines and forced many airlines to lay off employees or declare bankruptcy. Some have attempted to avoid refunding cancelled trips to diminish their losses. Airliner manufacturers and airport operators have also laid off employees.

Only several months into the pandemic, the crisis was already the worst in the aviation industry's history, according to statements made in early 2020 by Airbus' Guillaume Faury,[1] EasyJet's Johan Lundgren,[2] United Airlines' Oscar Munoz,[3] Qantas' Alan Joyce,[4] and media outlets: the Financial Times,[5] The New York Times,[6] and The Independent.[7]

Flight cancellations[edit]

Flight stats by year
  On-time Arrivals

Government regulations in Europe and the United States mandated that airlines refund fares when flights are cancelled, but in many cases airlines have instead offered vouchers or travel credits that must be used by the end of the year. (Some airlines have extended the voucher window to May 2022.) Despite pleas from industry lobbyists to expand the regulations to allow travel credits, the U.S. Department of Transportation has reiterated that airlines are obligated to provide refunds for cancelled flights. Travel vouchers are currently allowed when passengers cancel travel plans due to travel warnings, stay at home orders and other restrictions.[8] In spite of the cancellations, thousands of nearly-empty "ghost flights" continued to fly in order to maintain landing slots.[9]

Aviation sector recorded an 80% decrease in flight movements across all geographic regions, including America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East as of 4 May 2020.[10]
Many flights from Hong Kong were cancelled in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

Early March 2020 saw 10% of all flights cancelled compared to 2019. As the pandemic progressed, 40–60% fewer flight movements were recorded in late March with international flights affected the most. By April 2020, over 80% flight movements were restricted across all regions.[10] Research shows that world recovery of passenger demand to pre-COVID-19 levels is estimated to take 2.4 years (recovery by late 2022), with the most optimistic estimate being 2 years (recovery by mid-2022), and the most pessimistic estimate 6 years (recovery in 2026). Large regional differences are detected: the Asia-Pacific has the shortest estimated average recovery time of 2.2 years, followed by North America in 2.5 years, and Europe 2.7 years. For air freight demand, a shorter average world recovery time of 2.2 years is predicted if compared to passenger demand. On the regional level, Europe and North America are comparable with average recovery times of 2.2 years, while the Asia-Pacific is predicted to recover faster in 2.1 years.[11]

In 2022, recovery of travel demand exceeded airlines' ability to hire back pilots and ground staff quickly enough, causing several months of widespread delays and cancellations across the United States[12] and Europe.[13]

Air cargo[edit]

As passenger flights were cancelled, the cost of sending cargo by air changed rapidly. The cost of sending cargo across the Pacific Ocean tripled by late March 2020.[14]

Adjusted cargo capacity fell by 4.4% in February 2020 while air cargo demand also fell by 9.1%, but the near-halt in passenger traffic cut capacity even deeper as half of global air cargo is carried in passenger jets' bellies. Air freight rates rose as a consequence, from $0.80 per kg for transatlantic cargoes to $2.50–4 per kg, enticing passenger airlines to operate cargo-only flights through the use of preighters, while cargo airlines brought back into service fuel-guzzling stored aircraft, helped by falling oil prices.[15] Passenger airlines were enticed to convert aircraft.[16]

At the end of March 2020, cargo capacity was down by 35% compared to the previous year: North America to Asia Pacific capacity fall by 17% (19% in the opposite direction) Asia-Pacific to Europe was down by 30% (reverse: -32%), intra-Asia was down by 35%. Lagging the capacity reductions, demand was down by 23% in March, resulting in higher freight rates: from China/Hong Kong, between 2 March 2020 and 6 April 2020 +158% to Europe and +90.5% to North America.[17] By May, freight rates from Shanghai were $12/kg to North America, $11/kg to Europe.[18]

The cargo shortage may evaporate if the global economic crisis depresses demand: the WTO forecast a global trade contraction of 13–32% in 2020.[19]

International mail between many countries stopped completely, either due to suspension of domestic service or lack of transportation.[20]

Business aviation[edit]

Business aviation was less affected than airline traffic, in that top executives' travel is often considered essential. London Biggin Hill Airport reported traffic to be around 30% of 2019 levels, with transatlantic traffic strong.[21] Once lockdown restrictions are eased, business aviation has an opportunity to capture premium passengers who might previously have chosen airlines, but who may prefer the social distancing afforded by a private jet.[22]

United States air charter travel strongly increased in February and March as airlines slashed schedules, making commercial flights increasingly unpredictable; however, some charter operators such as JetSuite subsequently saw a drastic drop in business as widespread stay-at-home orders took effect in April 2020.[23]

By sector[edit]

Airlines[edit]

KLM Boeing 777-200ERs parked on Schiphol runway during the crisis

On 5 March 2020, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that the airline industry could lose between US$63 to 113 billion of revenues due to the reduced number of passengers.[24][25] IATA had previously estimated revenue losses of around US$30 billion two weeks before their 5 March estimate.[26] By 17 March, IATA had stated that its 5 March estimate was "outdated", and that airlines would require $200 billion in bailouts to survive the crisis.[27] IATA further revised their revenue loss estimate on 24 March to be $252 billion globally, a 44 percent drop.[28] Another further estimate was published on 14 April, which forecasted a revenue drop of $314 billion (55 percent) and a traffic drop of 48 percent in passenger count for 2020.[29]

Due to the sudden and large losses of revenue, airlines began to hold out against refunding cancelled flights and tickets to conserve cash, despite government regulations. In Europe, airlines had successfully negotiated to defer some $1.2 billion in air traffic control charges.[30]

Oliver Wyman reported that Asian airlines reduced their available seat miles by 23 percent in March 2020.[31] In Europe, the impact of the outbreak is expected to accelerate corporate consolidation in the airline industry.[32] According to consultancy CAPA Centre for Aviation, most airlines would be bankrupted by the end of May 2020.[33]

Air travel demand rose 2.4 percent year-on-year in January 2020, the lowest it has been since the April 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, though travel disruptions due to coronavirus only began in late January.[34] By March, the number of flights had plummeted, with about 280,000 flights reported between 24 and 30 March 2020 compared to around 780,000 in a similar period the previous year.[35] Despite a lack of passengers, regulations regarding flight slots initially compelled British airlines to fly empty planes to European airports to avoid losing their slots.[36] Fuel prices dropping (due to an oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia) by around a quarter could not compensate for the fall in demand.[37]

Analysts expect airlines to reduce the size of their fleets as a result of the downturn, and point out that this could be done either by modernising fleets—hastening the retirement of older aircraft and maintaining planned deliveries of new, more fuel-efficient models—or by retaining older planes and reducing capital expenditure on new aircraft.[38]

By mid-April 2020, the inactive fleet ballooned to almost 14,400, over two thirds of the 22,000 mainline passenger airliners, leaving 7,635 in operation stood: predominantly in Europe, where less than 15% are operating, than in North America (45%) or Asia (49%); and affecting narrow-body aircraft (37%) less than wide-body aircraft (27%).[39] Consequently, demand for aircraft storage increased to the point where runways and taxiways in normally busy airports such as Frankfurt Airport and Atlanta Airport were closed to make room for storage.[40]

In April 2020, global passenger capacity is down 91%; the ICAO anticipates 1.2 billion fewer travellers by September 2020 compared to a typical year, a revenue fall of $160–253 billion for the first nine months of 2020.[41] While European airlines owe $10 billion for cancelled flights, IATA is predicting a 55% fall in revenue compared to 2019, a $89 billion hit, costing $452 billion on the wider economy.[42] Boeing anticipates passenger traffic recovering in two to three years to 2019 levels, but expects production to take longer.[43]

The Airports Council International estimates 4.6 billion fewer passengers in 2020, down from 9.1 billion in 2019. The IATA expects RPKs to be down by half from 2019 except in North America, down by 36%; for $314 billion lower revenues, a 55% fall. The association forecast air travel to lag economic recovery by up to two years: air traffic in 2021 would still be down by 24% from 2019, and a return to 2019 levels would happen by 2023–2025.[44]

By June 2020, the IATA was projecting a collective net loss of $84.3 billion yearly for Airlines, worse than the $30 billion loss during the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and projects that income will remain negative through 2021.[45]

By mid-April 2020, 14,500 mainline airliners were stored, leaving 7,400 active: one third of the whole fleet, even one fifth for European carriers; down from 20,200 in active service and 1,800 in storage before. By mid-June, 10,500 were still stored while 11,500 were active, with an average daily utilisation down by 35% from 2019; led by Asia-Pacific airlines with almost 75% of the fleet flying, then Europe with one third still stored, then North America with a 50/50 split.[46] Major airliner deliveries dropped from a typical 90 to 100 aircraft a month to an average of less than 40 in the first half of 2020.[47]

As traffic may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, older, less fuel-efficient, and higher-maintenance aircraft retirement is accelerating, including the Boeing 777, Airbus A330 and Airbus A380. They are replaced with newer Airbus A350 and Boeing 787s, as a surplus of used aircraft is expected until 2030.[48]

By the third quarter of 2020, China Southern became the first of the large Chinese carriers to return to profitability, while Air China and China Eastern managed to narrow their losses, helped by domestic travel recovery by September after traffic bottomed out in February—but international demand is still in the doldrums.[49] By May 2021, 7,850 airliners were still in storage, down from a peak of 16,522 in April 2020.[50] As US traffic recovers, networks are evolving towards more point-to-point transit to leisure destinations, bypassing major airline hubs while business travel is still lagging.[51]

The aggregation of the 66 largest airlines with public financials[a] showed a revenue falling by 60% from $658Bn in 2019 to $262Bn in 2020, while net profits went from $17bn to a $140bn loss, a $157bn decrease.[52]

By the end of 2021, the global airline industry had returned to 79% of its pre-Covid size according to Airline Business, using an index from 13 of the largest airline groups: 86% of the workforce size, 96% of the fleet size, 71% of the revenue and 62% of the passenger numbers.[53]

In the final quarter of 2022, the same index was at 105% of the 2019 activity: 84% of passenger numbers with higher fares due to strong demand and constrained capacity, 97% of the fleet size, 92% of the employee number.[54]

Sun et al. 's study notes that during the pandemic the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recommends a distance of 1–2 m between passengers at all times. Therefore, in order to maintain appropriate social distancing, airlines in various countries have responded by adjusting the order and method of boarding. For exmple, Delta Air Lines' boarding and seating rules are for middle seats to be empty and rows to be moved from back to front and United Airlines' rules are from back to front, Business class last. Although airlines have adopted a rear-to-front boarding process, studies have shown that this method of boarding is slow and it does not necessarily reduce social proximity.[55]

Aerospace manufacturers[edit]

As demand plummeted, values fell 2% to 22% between January and May 2020 for five-year old aircraft, and lease rates by 4% to 26%.[56] By August, values fell further by 9% to 25% since January, and lease rates by 12% to 45%.[57] By November, market values of 20-year-old large single-aisles had fallen by 22% to 29% while their lease rates had fallen by 44% to 50%, and market values of 20-year-old widebody twins had fallen by 15 to 35% while their lease rates had fallen by 20 to 44%.[58]

As the pandemic reduced demand for new jets in early 2020, manufacturers trimmed airliner production rates and were producing aircraft they are unable to deliver. Airbus cut its monthly production from 60 to 40 A320s, from 4.5 to two A330s, and from nine to six A350s. Boeing reduced its output per month from 14 to six 787s, from five to two 777s, and 737 Max production was already halted, as a rate of 31 per month was targeted by early 2022. Bloomberg was expecting Airbus and Boeing to deliver 30 jets monthly each in 2021, mostly for single-aisles.[59]

In 2020, deliveries were down by more than 50% compared to 2019, after 10 years of growth.[60] Cirium forecasts a traffic recovery towards 2024 and a 3.3% growth per year over 20-years, needing 43,315 airliner deliveries.[60] The projection is 8% less than before the crisis, while retirements are accelerated.[60]

  • Airbus reduced its wing production on factories in Broughton, Filton and Bremen, and reduced working hours in the sites. Its French and Spanish sites suspended production for several days before a partial resumption on 23 March.[61] Monthly production was cut to four A220s, forty A320s, two A330s and six A350s.[62] Airbus delivered 122 aircraft in the first quarter, 40 fewer than in the previous year, and 60 could not be handed over due to travel restrictions. Airliner revenues were down 22% to €7.5 billion, earnings dropped by 82% to €57 million, and their adjusted EBIT was down 59% to €191 million. The company free cash flow was a negative €8 billion, including the €3.6 billion bribery penalties, similar to the negative €4.3 billion of the previous year without. For the first quarter, Airbus' total adjusted EBIT was halved to €281 million, and it made a net loss of €481 million (compared to a €40 million profit in the previous year). In 2020, capital expenditure should be reduced by €700 million to €1.9 billion.[63]
  • Boeing froze hiring and reportedly laid off employees due to a large number of cancellations, which outpaced new orders in February 2020.[64] On 11 March, it was revealed that Boeing was to exercise its whole US$13.8 billion loan facility (which it secured in February). Prior to the pandemic, Boeing's business had been impacted by groundings of its 737 MAX aircraft.[65] By 7 April, Boeing had indefinitely suspended production at Boeing South Carolina and Puget Sound, Washington, completely halting the assembly of its commercial aircraft.[66] On 21 April, Boeing announced a management structure overhaul.[67] On 27 May, it announced plans to lay off 12,000 employees, while it reported zero new orders in April 2020.[68] In October, it announced plans to lay off thousands more employees through the following year, with the expectation that it would end 2021 with 19% fewer employees than its pre-pandemic workforce.[69]
  • Bombardier on 26 March 2020 announced a suspension of most Canadian production in Ontario (for 2 weeks) and Quebec (until 13 April), in addition to halting production in Northern Ireland. 12,400 Bombardier employees in Canada (70 percent of the workforce) were furloughed.[70]
  • CFM International deliveries of CFM LEAP engines across the first nine months of 2020 fell to 622 from 1,316 in the same period in 2019, and 123 CFM56s against 327, while Leap fleet cycles were down 15% year-on-year and CFM56 cycles were 48% lower.[71]
  • Embraer reported deferment of orders of its commercial aircraft.[72] It also suspended its financial guidance for 2020.[73]
  • General Electric announced on 23 March 2020 that it would cut one tenth of employees in its jet engine arm, amounting to around 2,500 employees, in addition to furloughing around half of its maintenance and repair staff.[74]
  • Mitsubishi in May 2020 halved the budget of its SpaceJet programme and repatriated all work from the US to Japan.[75] In October 2020 it announced a further budget reduction and put almost all SpaceJet activities on hold.[76]
  • Rolls-Royce planned to cut 9,000 jobs, mainly in its civil aerospace division, and mainly affecting its UK site at Derby.[77]
  • Textron Inc., the parent company of Textron Aviation and Bell Helicopter, announced a 1,950 jobs layoff.[78]
  • United Aircraft Corporation, Russian Industry and Trade Minister said "is quite balanced as a production unit". Because recovery is quicker in Russia than abroad, the production program is drafted for 2020–2021. Also, the market will require up to 1,500 new civil jets within the next 15 to 20 years, adding that there is scope for optimism in the domestic industry.[79]

On 25 April 2020, Boeing announced it had terminated the planned Boeing–Embraer joint venture after the 24 April delay expired, attributing it to Embraer's failure to meet conditions.[80] Later the same day, Embraer asserted that it had satisfied the conditions for consolidation to proceed, and that it would seek compensation for Boeing's allegedly wrongful termination of the deal.[81] Aviation analyst Scott Hamilton believed the collapse in demand for airliners caused by the pandemic and the resulting cash constraints motivated Boeing's defection, along with the desire to avoid the perception that it was using government pandemic relief funds for foreign investment.[82]

Airports[edit]

Parked planes in May 2020 at Victorville, California; Teruel, Spain; Lourdes, France; Alice Springs, Australia
Queues to the security control at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in June 2022
  • From March 2020, various United States airlines stored hundreds of disused aircraft at Southern California Logistics Airport[83][84] and Roswell International Air Center.[85]
  • Runways and taxiways at Frankfurt Airport, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Tulsa International Airport were closed and used as aircraft storage areas by Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines respectively.[86]
  • Ciudad Real International Airport and Madrid Airport benefited from medical equipment cargo corridors from China.[87][88][89][importance?]
  • By mid-April 2020, Airports Council International (ACI) observed a 95% fall in traffic in 18 airports in major aviation markets in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.[90]
  • On 27 April 2020, Westchester County Airport closed to airlines for about a month for a major runway repaving project, which was originally scheduled to be undertaken in stages late at night over the span of four months. The decision to close and expedite the project was made because the number of daily flights had fallen drastically. This was the first total closure of a United States commercial airport for pandemic-related reasons.[91]
  • Various airlines from outside Australia stored aircraft at Alice Springs Airport.[92]
  • On 5 May 2020, ACI World estimated that in 2020, passenger traffic worldwide would amount to less than half of what was previously projected for the year.[93]
  • UK airports axed expansion plans valued at £1 billion.[94]
  • In May 2020, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was the world's busiest airport measured by aircraft movements despite significantly lower traffic than normal. American Airlines diminished point-to-point routes and instead sent flights through its DFW hub, creating traffic volumes surpassing those at the normally busier O'Hare International Airport and Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport by substantial margins.[95]
  • In May 2020, Salt Lake City International Airport reported that an in-progress redevelopment project would be sped up by as much as two years by the pandemic. Lower passenger numbers meant that larger areas of the airport could be closed much earlier than expected for demolition and renovation, saving up to $300 million for the project overall.[96]
  • Orly Airport in Paris was closed to commercial traffic from 1 April to 25 June 2020.[citation needed]
  • In Europe, some of the airports that saw the most parked airliners during the pandemic were Ciudad Real International Airport, Madrid Airport, Teruel Airport and Istanbul Airport.[97]
  • In late October 2020, ACI Europe stated that 193 (mostly regional) of the 740 airports in Europe were risking bankruptcy.[98]
  • Coronavirus related travel restrictions imposed in 2020 reduced traffic by 70% at the Dubai International Airport. The number of travellers through this tourism hub dropped to 25.9 million in 2020.[99]
  • As compared to Q1 of 2020, Dubai International Airport's passenger traffic has plunged 67.8% to reach 5.75 million in Q1 of 2021. Along with the main airports in Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, Chicago and Paris, Dubai has also dropped out of the top 10 rankings for total passengers last year.[100]
  • On 17 July 2021, ACI World estimated that global passenger traffic in 2020 was reduced by over 5.9 billion passengers, a loss of 62.3% of what was estimated for the year.[101] In 2021, the loss is estimated at just over 5 billion passengers, representing 50.9% of the total estimated for the year.[101]
  • In Summer 2022, many airports experienced extraordinary long delays and a large number of cancelled flights, as a consequence of the pandemic. In particular, at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the pandemic led to recession of air traffic and subsequently to the shortage of security staff and walkout of baggage handlers, which resulted in hours long queues.[102]

Regulators[edit]

  • In March 2020, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would not take enforcement action against pilots whose medical certificates expired between 31 March and 30 June, due to the difficulty of scheduling appointments with certified Aviation Medical Examiners. In June, the FAA expected that the exception would be extended.[103]
  • The FAA announced on 23 April 2020 a reduction in the operating hours of over 100 control towers and terminal radar approach control facilities, citing a drop in air traffic of as much as 96%. Pilots were advised that certain air traffic control services and instrument landing system approaches may be periodically unavailable.[104]

Government[edit]

  • On 8 June 2020, the Austrian conservativegreen coalition government concluded a support deal for Austrian Airlines (a subsidiary of Lufthansa) for €150 million in taxpayer grants, and €300 million in banking loans that are to be paid back. This was significantly less than expected (Austrian Airlines had applied for €767 million), and came under the stringent conditions (some of which also applied to other airline companies operating in Austria) to restrict short-distance airline operations, to ban cheap tickets below €40 and include a €12 environmental tax to each ticket, and to half its CO2 emissions by 2030.[105][106]

Other organizations[edit]

  • Many United States general aviation social events and fly-ins scheduled for the spring of 2020 were cancelled or postponed, including Sun 'n Fun[107] and several conducted by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.[108]
  • On 1 May 2020, citing uncertainty about COVID-19 social restrictions imposed by the state of Wisconsin, the Experimental Aircraft Association canceled EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for 2020.[109]
  • Air charter company JetSuite ceased flight operations on 15 April 2020 and its parent company filed for bankruptcy on 28 April 2020; CEO Alex Wilcox attributed the company's collapse to a 90% drop in business due to widespread stay-at-home orders.[110]
  • Travel technology company Sabre Corporation furloughed one third of its workforce on 23 April 2020, citing an 81% drop in revenue due to drastically reduced airline and other travel bookings. Sabre had previously cut salaries by 20%, suspended 401(k) pension contributions, cut various other expenses, and obtained a US$1.1 billion loan, but these steps reportedly failed to offset losses.[23]

By country[edit]

Change in jet fuel consumption by country relative to 2019
Beijing Capital International Airport, empty
A nearly empty flight from Beijing to Los Angeles
  • Argentina: The government suspended domestic flights in March 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic in the country and imposed restriction of international flights for several months. In June 2021, the government imposed a daily limit of 600 entries per day to prevent the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant.[111] On 3 July 2021, domestic flights resumed between some cities in the country.[112]
  • Canada: Canadians were advised to avoid non-essential travel on 13 March 2020, while Canadian border was closed except for Canadian citizens and permanent residents on 16 March (Canada–United States border closed later on 18 March).[113] Essential travel is exempted, and international travellers must enter through Calgary International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, or Montréal–Trudeau International Airport with mandatory 14 days' quarantine.[114] The border closure has been extended multiple times and remained closed until at least 21 August.[115] Most transborder flights have been cancelled since late March due to the lack in demand.[116] The prolonged international travel ban resulted in Air Canada's loss of C$1.75 billion in August and they have since urged for easing in travel restrictions.[117]
  • China: Roughly two thirds of international flights to and from China were cancelled in February 2020. Flights between Japan and China saw a 60 percent reduction in traffic, while the US and China saw a reduction of 86 percent.[118] Two thirds of domestic flights within China were similarly cancelled, numbering around 10,000 flights daily, while the ticket prices for remaining flights dropped—South China Morning Post reported that a seat for a three-hour flight between Shanghai and Chongqing cost as little as 29 Yuan (US$4.1). Passenger traffic between 25 January and 14 February dropped by 75 percent compared to the same period in 2019.[119] Since 23 March 2020, all international passenger flights bound for Beijing are diverted to twelve designated first points of entry, under the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)'s guideline.[120] Since 29 March, all international flights to and from China are reduced, with flight limit.[121] Since 4 June 2020, CAAC decided to allow more foreign airlines to operate passenger flights to China from 8 June, while "circuit-breaker" measures would also be implemented.[122]
  • Colombia: Colombia ceased all commercial air travel at the beginning of the pandemic. Domestic flights resumed gradually beginning on 20 July 2020, Colombia's Independence Day, with a single flight of less than 200 km.[123] El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá reopened on 1 September with 38 flights.[124]
  • Denmark: Passenger figures went down by around 99% in April 2020 compared to April 2019. This affected both domestic and international flights. Denmark closed its border to all tourism and other non-priority travel. Two noticeable cases were Aarhus Airport which had no passengers in April, and Bornholm Airport which had 16% as many passengers in April 2020 compared to 2019. On most domestic air routes car travel is possible with 3 to 4 hours' drive time, but Bornholm is an island where ferry and air is the only possibilities. See also: List of the busiest airports in the Nordic countries#2020 coronavirus statistics
  • Fiji: In April 2020, Fiji Airways suspended all international flights and the main international airport in Nadi was closed.[125] As a result, the national airline terminated more than 700 employees.[126][127] On 26 May, the government issued guarantees in support of FJ$450 million (US$208 million) worth of initiatives aimed at strengthening Fiji Airway's cash reserves.[128]
  • India: Indian airlines are estimated to report a loss of US$600 million (not including state-owned Air India) for the January–March quarter. The government of India is planning a rescue package for the aviation industry for as much as ₹120 billion (US$1.6 billion).[129]
  • Indonesia: On 2 April 2020, Indonesia banned foreigners from entering their borders. Starting on 24 April, all passenger flights, except those carrying medical personnel/supplies or repatriating Indonesian citizens from abroad/foreigners from Indonesia, were banned.[130] After implementing health guidelines, the ban on passenger flights was lifted on 7 May, starting with the resumptions of domestic passenger flights.[131]
  • Italy: Due to the outbreak and the ensuing national lockdown, thousands of flights to and from Italy were cancelled.[132]
  • Mauritius: As from March 2020 all international flights to Mauritius was suspended. The national carrier, Air Mauritius entered voluntary administration after making losses for quite years.[133]
  • Nepal: From March 2020 to prevent the importation and spread of coronavirus infection, all aircraft including domestic and international (with the exception of humanitarian flights) were banned arriving in Nepal.[134]
  • Pakistan: The Government of Pakistan had allowed domestic flights to resume, following suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic on 16 May.[135] Six days later, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashed in Karachi from Lahore.[136]
  • Philippines: The National Economic and Development Authority projects a loss of at least 1.2 million tourist arrivals assuming that the pandemic persists by June 2020.[137]
  • South Africa: South African Airways had been placed in bankruptcy protection in December 2019. However, with the pandemic leading to the complete grounding of all flights, and the government refusing to make more finance available, the airline is heading for a winding down process, or liquidation, depending on the outcome of negotiations with unions and workers on retrenchments.[138]
  • Turkmenistan: From March 2020 to prevent the importation and spread of coronavirus infection, all aircraft arriving in Turkmenistan from abroad are redirected to the Turkmenabat International Airport.[139] Passengers arriving from outside of Turkmenistan are carried screened for signs of active infection, in particular, body temperature is measured. Visitors who are flagged during screening are transported to an allocated hospital. The airport medical center is equipped with personal protective equipment. After passing a medical examination, the plane, together with passengers on board, leaves for Ashgabat. Departures from Turkmenistan are carried out from Ashgabat International Airport. Persons authorized solely for diplomatic, official, humanitarian purposes are allowed to enter the territory of Turkmenistan.[140]
  • United Kingdom: On 22 February 2021, UK's PM Boris Johnson announced that leisure travel overseas will not start until 17 May.[141]
  • United States: Multiple airlines waived fees for flight booking changes and cancellations during the coronavirus outbreak following a request from Sen. Richard Blumenthal.[142] Between 20 January and 7 March 2020, stock prices in US airlines decreased by 30 percent.[143] Flight fares for domestic flights also dropped.[144]
On 25 March, the United States Senate passed a bill that would allocate $58 billion in loans and guarantees to aviation-related companies, including $25 billion for passenger carriers and $4 billion for cargo carriers, plus $17 billion for companies "critical to maintaining national security", such as Boeing. The airlines accepting the package would be barred from increasing executive pay, issuing dividends, or buying back shares during the aid period.[145]
On 3 September 2020, the CEO of the lobbying group Airlines for America said "We don't see it [demand] fully rebounding until 2024...Right now, we're fighting for survival."[146]
  • Vietnam: Despite Vietnam's success in containing the epidemic, Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said the aviation industry is in the worst situation in 60 years of development. Of the 234 Vietnam registered aircraft, more than 200 were grounded while airlines still have to spend hundreds millions dollars to maintain operations such as: aircraft leasing cost, paying for employee, aircraft maintenance and apron parking fee.[147] Vietnam Airlines estimates its 2020 revenues could decline by US$2.1 billion. This has seen as many as 10,000 employees of the national flag carrier, over 50% of its staff strength, taking unpaid leave. Duong Tri Thanh, CEO of Vietnam Airlines stressing that the carrier was going through the hardest time in its history.[148]

Environmental impacts[edit]

The sharp and lasting decline in planned air travel throughout the pandemic had a beneficial effect of global climate change.[149] The effects of COVID-19 lockdowns were subject of the first quantitative research on large-scale modal shifts and demand reduction in aviation.[150] It illustrated that a significant share of business travel is not necessary[151] and advanced or increased the adoption of various methods and technologies to mitigate air travel demand.[152][153][154][155][156][157]

Travel and virus spread[edit]

The use of aeroplanes by travelers has been implicated in the spread of the coronavirus.[158] The World Health Organization noted that "Transmission of infection may occur between passengers who are seated in the same area of an aircraft, usually as a result of the infected individual coughing or sneezing or by touch".[159] Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, many airline tickets have been sold at discount[160] and some buyers attended spring break celebrations despite warnings to remain at home.[160] A multitude of young adults have tested positive for the coronavirus upon returning from spring break celebrations; among those from Texas vacationing in Cabo San Lucas were forty-four positive persons.[161]

Although a HEPA filter captures 99.97 percent of airborne particles, it does not account for air that does not go through the filter and many airlines have required passengers to wear masks during the flight.[162] According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pathogens do not spread easily on flights, but prolonged proximity still presents a danger of infection.[163]

Aircraft cabin disinfection

Hazard controls[edit]

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if a person becomes sick on an airplane, proper hazard controls include separating the sick person from others, designating one crew member to serve the sick person, and offering a face mask or asking the sick person to cover their mouth and nose with tissues when coughing or sneezing. Cabin crew should wear disposable medical gloves, and possibly additional personal protective equipment. Disposable items should be disposed of in a biohazard bag, and contaminated surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected afterwards.[164]

Proof of vaccination[edit]

Scott Morrison: "People have the choice of two weeks of quarantine or being vaccinated."[165]

For passengers[edit]

On 23 November 2020, Qantas announced that the company will ask for proof of COVID-19 vaccination from international travelers. According to Alan Joyce, the firm's CEO, a coronavirus vaccine would become a "necessity" when travelling, "We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travellers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft."[166] Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison subsequently announced that all international travellers who fly to Australia without proof of a COVID-19 vaccination will be required to quarantine at their own expense.[165] Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews and the CEOs of Melbourne Airport, Brisbane Airport and Flight Centre all supported the Morrison government's "no jab, no fly" policy, with only Sydney Airport's CEO suggesting advanced testing might also be sufficient to eliminate quarantine in the future.[167] The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that it was almost finished with developing a digital health pass which states air passengers' COVID-19 testing and vaccination information to airlines and governments.[168]

Korean Air and Air New Zealand were seriously considering mandatory vaccination as well, but would negotiate it with their respective governments.[169] KLM CEO Pieter Elbers responded on 24 November that KLM does not yet have any plans for mandatory vaccination on its flights.[170] Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa said they had no plans yet on requiring passengers to present proof of vaccination before boarding, but Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist agreed with Qantas' policy, stating: "Sooner or later, having proof of vaccination or a negative test will become compulsory."[171] Ryanair announced it would not require proof of vaccination for air travel within the EU, EasyJet stated it would not require any proof at all. The Irish Times commented that a vaccination certificate for flying was quite common in countries around the world for other diseases, such as for yellow fever in many African countries.[172]

CommonsPass logo

On 25 November, separately from IATA's digital health pass initiative, five major airlines—United Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines, and JetBlue—announced the 1 December 2020 introduction of the CommonPass, which shows the results of passengers' COVID-19 tests. It was designed as an international standard by the World Economic Forum and The Commons Project, and set up in such a way that it could also be used to record vaccination results in the future. It standardises test results and aims to prevent forgery of vaccination records, while storing only limited data on a passenger's phone to safeguard their privacy. The CommonPass had already successfully undergone a trial period in October with United Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways.[173][174]

On 26 November, the Danish Ministry of Health confirmed that it was working on a COVID-19 "vaccine passport", which would likely not only work as proof of vaccination for air travel, but for other activities such as concerts, private parties and access to various businesses, a perspective welcomed by the Confederation of Danish Industry. The Danish College of General Practitioners also welcomed the project, saying that it doesn't force anyone to vaccinate, but encourages them to do so if they want to enjoy certain privileges in society.[175]

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on 27 November 2020 that, although he "currently has no plans" for a passport vaccination stamp, his government was working on changing the passenger locator form to include proof of PCR negative tests for the coronavirus, and that it was likely to be further adjusted to include vaccination data when a COVID-19 vaccine would become available. Coveney stressed that "We do not want, following enormous efforts and sacrifices from people, to reintroduce the virus again through international travel, which is a danger if it is not managed right."[176]

For employees[edit]

An August 2021 statement from Delta's CEO revealed that "the average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person” and that all of these hospitalized employees were unvaccinated. While Delta did not mandate vaccination, it said that unvaccinated employees enrolled in the company's healthcare plan would be charged $200 per month and would also have to be tested weekly for the virus.[177]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ not included: Air India, Globalia (Air Europa’s parent), Hainan Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, South African Airways, and Virgin Australia

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jolly, Jasper (29 April 2020). "Airlines may not recover from Covid-19 crisis for five years, says Airbus". The Guardian. We are now in the midst of the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known
  2. ^ "Airlines increase job cuts as coronavirus pandemic crushes air travel". Boston Herald. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020. This is still the worst crisis that this industry has ever been faced with [...]
  3. ^ Assis, Claudia (30 April 2020). "United Airlines says coronavirus pandemic is worst crisis 'in the history of aviation'". MarketWatch. the most disruptive crisis in the history of aviation
  4. ^ "Virus worst crisis to hit aviation: Joyce". ABC's 7.30 program. 19 March 2020 – via The Canberra Times. This is the worst crisis the aviation industry has gone through
  5. ^ Hollinger, Peggy (20 April 2020). "How coronavirus brought aerospace down to earth". Financial Times. [...] cancel orders to survive the worst crisis in aviation history.
  6. ^ "Flight Attendants and Pilots Ask, 'Is It OK to Keep Working?'". The New York Times. 12 April 2020. [...] the current crisis, which is seen by many as the worst in the history of aviation.
  7. ^ "British Airways furloughs 36,000 staff in worst-ever crisis". The Independent. 2 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Airlines Want To Cancel Rule Requiring Them To Refund Fares For Canceled Flights". NPR. 7 April 2020.
  9. ^ Eddy, Melissa (7 January 2022). "Airlines push the E.U. to ease airport rules as Omicron rages". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  10. ^ a b Inc, Aislelabs (4 May 2020), How Airports Globally are Responding to Coronavirus by Aislelabs, retrieved 8 May 2020
  11. ^ "Gudmundsson, S.V., Cattaneo, M., Redondi, R. Forecasting recovery time in air transport markets in the presence of large economic shocks: COVID-19". SSNR. 9 June 2020.
  12. ^ Cancellations at Logan International Airport surpass Friday's levels
  13. ^ Airport chaos: European travel runs into pandemic cutbacks
  14. ^ Bradsher, Keith; Swanson, Ana (23 March 2020). "The U.S. Needs China's Masks, as Acrimony Grows". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  15. ^ Cirium (3 April 2020). "Freight rates on the rise amid slump in passenger flights". FlightGlobal.
  16. ^ Asaf, Seher. "Airlines remove seats from planes for cargo". Business Traveller. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020.
  17. ^ Brett, Damian (21 April 2020). "Air freight market goes into overdrive". FlightGlobal.
  18. ^ Damian, Brett (11 November 2020). "Emirates calls A380s up for all-cargo duties". Air Cargo News. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. $12.27 per kg carriers were able to achieve on Shanghai to North America and $11.18 per kg to Europe in mid-May – at the height of the PPE capacity crunch
  19. ^ Lewis Harper (28 April 2020). "Air cargo capacity crunch to vanish as recession takes hold: IATA". FlightGlobal.
  20. ^ "International service disruptions". 14 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  21. ^ Morrison, Murdo (4 May 2020). "Transatlantic traffic keeps Biggin Hill's head above water". FlightGlobal.
  22. ^ "An Interview with the Operations Manager of a Private Jet Charter Company - Travel Radar". Travel Radar - Aviation News. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  23. ^ a b Arnold, Kyle (23 April 2020). "Southlake travel tech firm Sabre furloughing one-third of workers". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Airlines slash capacity to cut costs as coronavirus hits demand". Financial Times. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  25. ^ Doherty, Ben (9 March 2020). "Qantas slashes flights as coronavirus hits passenger numbers". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  26. ^ "UK airline Flybe collapses as coronavirus crisis deals the final blow". CNN. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Airlines Need Up to $200 Billion to Survive Virus, IATA Says". Bloomberg. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Air Canada to cut 16,500 workers". FlightGlobal. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  29. ^ Harper, Lewis (14 April 2020). "IATA deepens projected airline revenue loss to $314 billion". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  30. ^ "Refunds row escalates as airlines warn millions of jobs at risk". Reuters. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  31. ^ Coren, Michael J. (7 March 2020). "Coronavirus is spreading turbulence in the airline industry". Quartz. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Coronavirus to drive European airline industry shakeout". Reuters. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  33. ^ Ziady, Hanna (16 March 2020). "Most airlines could be bankrupt by May. Governments will have to help". CNN. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  34. ^ "American, United, Delta cut domestic flights as coronavirus saps demand". Philadelphia Inquirer. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  35. ^ "The toll on travel". Reuters. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  36. ^ Paton, Graeme (6 March 2020). "Airlines are flying empty planes to keep slots during the coronavirus crisis". The Times. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  37. ^ "Coronavirus/airlines: cancellations outweigh cheap fuel". Financial Times. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  38. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (13 April 2020). "Out with the old jets? How virus-led fleet decisions will impact OEMs, aftermarket providers". FlightGlobal.
  39. ^ Kingsley-Jones, Max (15 April 2020). "Mixed fortunes globally as active fleet drops towards 7,000 aircraft". FlightGlobal.
  40. ^ "Delta, American, and other airlines are parking planes on closed runways at major airports as carriers struggle to store grounded airliners, Business Insider – Business Insider Singapore". Business Insider. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  41. ^ "ICAO predicts 1.2 billion fewer air travellers by September". FlightGlobal. 23 April 2020.
  42. ^ "Shutdown to cost European airlines $89 billion: IATA". FlightGlobal. 24 April 2020.
  43. ^ Hamilton, Scott (27 April 2020). "Boeing sees air traffic recovering in 2–3 years; production will take longer". Leeham News.
  44. ^ Graham Dunn (4 June 2020). "The story of the coronavirus impact on airlines in numbers". FlightGlobal.
  45. ^ Graham Dunn (9 June 2020). "Airlines to post record net loss of $84bn this year: IATA". FlightGlobal.
  46. ^ Max Kingsley-Jones (17 June 2020). "Active mainline fleet over takes idle tally as recovery picks up". FlightGlobal.
  47. ^ Max Kingsley-Jones (22 June 2020). "By the numbers: coronavirus effect on the global fleet". FlightGlobal.
  48. ^ "Pandemic speeds retirement of older, high-maintenance aircraft". FlightGlobal. 28 October 2020.
  49. ^ Alfred Chua (31 October 2020). "China Southern first among 'Big Three' to return to profitability since pandemic began". FlightGlobal.
  50. ^ Judson Rollins (13 May 2021). "2021 fleet trends: small jets get bigger, bigger jets get smaller – and the old makes way for the new". Leeham News.
  51. ^ Jon Hemmerdinger (2 June 2021). "The big shift: How the pandemic forced US airlines to revamp networks". FlightGlobal.
  52. ^ "A near $100bn Equity Hole to Fill". Leeham News. 7 December 2021.
  53. ^ Lewis Harper (8 March 2022). "Airline Business Index shows industry exceeding three-quarters of pre-Covid size". FlightGlobal.
  54. ^ Lewis Harper (14 March 2023). "Airline Business Index shows global revenue surging above pre-Covid levels". FlightGlobal.
  55. ^ Sun, Xiaoqian; Wandelt, Sebastian; Zheng, Changhong; Zhang, Anming (July 2021). "COVID-19 pandemic and air transportation: Successfully navigating the paper hurricane". Journal of Air Transport Management. 94: 102062. doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2021.102062. ISSN 0969-6997. PMC 8045456. PMID 33875908.
  56. ^ Scott Hamilton (25 May 2020). "Pontifications: Aircraft values, lease rates plummet". Leeham News.
  57. ^ Scott Hamilton (19 August 2020). "Lease rates, aircraft values continue to plunge". Leeham News.
  58. ^ Scott Hamilton (9 November 2020). "Pontifications: Aircraft prices, rents plunge". Leeham News.
  59. ^ Jon Hemmerdinger (27 October 2020). "More aircraft production rate cuts coming? Perhaps, analysts say". FlightGlobal.
  60. ^ a b c Chris Seymour (23 December 2020). "Looking past the pandemic to gauge future fleets". FlightGlobal.
  61. ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (26 March 2020). "Airbus temporarily cuts wing production at UK and German sites". FlightGlobal.
  62. ^ David Kaminski-Morrow (29 April 2020). "Airbus not expecting to review production levels before mid-year". FlightGlobal.
  63. ^ David Kaminski-Morrow (29 April 2020). "Airbus concentrates on cash preservation as crisis starts to bite". FlightGlobal.
  64. ^ Josephs, Leslie (11 March 2020). "Boeing halts hiring, limits overtime as coronavirus poses 'global economic disruption', shares down 13%". CNBC. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  65. ^ "Boeing to draw down billions in loan cash as pressure builds". Reuters. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  66. ^ Bogaisky, Jeremy (6 April 2020). "Boeing Moves To Completely Shut Down Airliner Production". Forbes. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  67. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (22 April 2020). "Boeing to restructure, simplify corporate functions amid changing industry". FlightGlobal.
  68. ^ Bushey, Claire (27 May 2020). "Boeing to axe 12,000 US workers even as Max assembly resumes". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  69. ^ Chokshi, Niraj (28 October 2020). "Boeing will cut thousands of jobs as its revenue plunges". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  70. ^ "Bombardier halts most operations in Canada due to coronavirus". Reuters. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  71. ^ Dominic Perry (30 October 2020). "Leap deliveries more than halved so far this year". FlightGlobal.
  72. ^ Wolfsteller, Pilar (26 March 2020). "Embraer sees commercial orders deferred, not cancelled". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  73. ^ "Planemaker Embraer posts Q4 loss, suspends 2020 guidance due to coronavirus". Reuters. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  74. ^ "GE to Cut 10% of Aviation Workforce as Coronavirus Grounds Airliners". The Wall Street Journal. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  75. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (23 May 2020). "Mitsubishi Aircraft to close all non-Japan locations, shelve M100 development". FlightGlobal.
  76. ^ Chua, Alfred (30 October 2020). "Mitsubishi imposes 'temporary pause' on SpaceJet; certification work continues". FlightGlobal.
  77. ^ "Coronavirus: Rolls-Royce to cut 9,000 jobs amid virus crisis". BBC News. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  78. ^ Pilar Wolfsteller (19 June 2020). "Textron Aviation parent to eliminate 1,950 jobs". FlightGlobal.
  79. ^ "Systemic crisis not expected in aviation industry due to pandemic, says minister". RUSSIAN NEWS AGENCY RU SEARCH. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  80. ^ "Boeing Terminates Agreement to Establish Joint Ventures with Embraer" (Press release). Boeing. 25 April 2020.
  81. ^ "Embraer says that Boeing wrongfully terminated the Master Transaction Agreement" (Press release). Embraer. 25 April 2020.
  82. ^ Gates, Dominic (25 April 2020). "Boeing kills its $4.2 billion purchase of Embraer as coronavirus roils the aviation industry". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington.
  83. ^ Estacio, Martin (24 March 2020). "Coronavirus: As air travel drops, demand for plane storage jumps at Southern California Logistics Airport". Daily Press. Victorville, California. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  84. ^ Arnold, Kyle (30 March 2020). "Southwest Airlines CEO: We're parking more planes and cutting spending as COVID-19 challenge grows". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas.
  85. ^ King, Corey (8 May 2020). "Roswell airport becomes parking hub for grounded planes due to pandemic". Albuquerque, New Mexico: KRQE.
  86. ^ Pallini, Thomas (26 March 2020). "Delta, American, and other airlines are parking planes on closed runways at major airports as carriers struggle to store grounded airliners". Business Insider.
  87. ^ "Grupo Oesía gestiona la logística de los vuelos de Iberia a China". Info Defensa (in Spanish). 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  88. ^ "Ciudad Real International Airport (CRIA), la aerolínea portuguesa HI FLY y un amplio grupo de empresarios españoles crean un Corredor Aéreo Sanitario entre China y España, con vuelos directos, sin escalas". El Semanal de La Mancha (in Spanish). 15 April 2020.
  89. ^ "Aterriza en el aeropuerto de Ciudad Real el primer avión con dos millones de mascarillas desde China". Diario Lanza (in Spanish). 18 May 2020.
  90. ^ "Traffic at Asia-Pacific airports hits 'rock bottom': ACI". FlightGlobal. 22 April 2020.
  91. ^ Negroni, Christine (23 April 2020). "Few Travelers, Few Flights and Now, a Total Airport Shutdown". The New York Times. New York City.
  92. ^ Ironside, Robyn (4 May 2020). "Alice transformed into aircraft haven". The Australian.
  93. ^ "Economic impact assessment of COVID-19 on the airport business: ACI" (PDF). ACI World. 5 May 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  94. ^ Price, David (21 May 2020). "UK airports to axe £1bn of projects: construction's latest setback". Construction News.
  95. ^ Arnold, Kyle (4 June 2020). "DFW becomes the world's busiest airport during COVID-19 downturn". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas.
  96. ^ McKellar, Katie (25 May 2020). "Pandemic could shorten Salt Lake airport rebuild by 2 years, save $300M". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  97. ^ Yébenes, Julia (1 October 2020). "El aeropuerto de Ciudad Real es el tercero de España y el octavo de Europa en almacenamiento de aeronaves, según Eurocontrol". Lanza Digital.
  98. ^ Mari Eccles (27 October 2020). "193 European airports at risk of closure due to crisis, says industry lobby". Politico Europe.
  99. ^ "Dubai Airports Traffic Slumps 70% in 2020 on Covid-19 Lockdowns". Bloomberg. 15 February 2021.
  100. ^ "Dubai International Airport's Q1 passenger traffic slips but cargo volumes rise". The National News. 28 April 2021.
  101. ^ a b "The impact of COVID-19 on the airport business and the path to recovery - ACI World". 14 July 2021.
  102. ^ "Schiphol airport braces itself for summer of long queues and chaos". DutchNews.nl. 1 June 2022.
  103. ^ Wolfsteller, Pilar (18 June 2020). "FAA plans to extend medical certificate exception for pilots". FlightGlobal.
  104. ^ "FAA to scale back ATC service as traffic declines". aopa.org. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  105. ^ Gerhard Hegmann (9 June 2020). "Österreich verbietet die 9,99-Euro-Billigstflüge". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  106. ^ Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich (8 June 2020). "Lufthansa's Austrian arm gets 450 million euro government bailout". Reuters. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  107. ^ Cobb, Alyssa J. (2 April 2020). "Sun 'n Fun canceled; show organizers to offer a 'Sun 'n Fun at Home' series". aopa.org. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  108. ^ "Coronavirus Affects Aviation Events". AOPA Pilot. Frederick, Maryland: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. May 2020. p. 41.
  109. ^ Cobb, Alyssa J. (1 May 2020). "EAA AirVenture canceled". aopa.org. Frederick, Maryland: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  110. ^ O'Donnell, Paul (28 April 2020). "Dallas private aviation service JetSuite's parent company files for bankruptcy". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  111. ^ "Ya rige el nuevo límite de ingreso a pasajeros internacionales" [The new entry limit for international passengers is already in force]. Página 12 (in Spanish). 28 June 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  112. ^ "Flybondi reanuda servicios tras las restricciones causadas por la pandemia en Argentina" [Flybondi resumes services after restrictions caused by the pandemic in Argentina] (in Spanish). Merco Press. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  113. ^ Staples, David. "The road to Canada's COVID-19 outbreak, Pt. 3: timeline of federal government failure at border to slow the virus". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  114. ^ Government of Canada (29 October 2020). "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Canada's response".
  115. ^ Aiello, Rachel (16 July 2020). "PM Trudeau confirms Canada-U.S. border closure extending to Aug. 21". CTV News. Ottawa News Bureau Online Producer. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  116. ^ Karp, Aaron. "Canadian airlines react to border closure with significant cuts". RoutesOnline. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  117. ^ MacGregor, Sandra (2 August 2020). "Air Canada Posts Loses Of 1.75 Billion, Urges Easing Of Travel Restrictions". Forbes. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  118. ^ Zhou, Youyou (11 February 2020). "Two-thirds of China's international flights cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak". Quartz. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  119. ^ "Flight for less than a cup of coffee? China's airlines try to lure customers". South China Morning Post. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  120. ^ "CAAC Publishes Designated First Points of Entry into China for International Flights Bound for Beijing". Civil Aviation Administration of China. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  121. ^ "Notice on Further Reducing International Passenger Flights during the Epidemic Prevention and Control Period". Civil Aviation Administration of China. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  122. ^ "民航局关于调整国际客运航班的通知" (in Chinese). Civil Aviation Administration of China. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  123. ^ "Despegó primer vuelo piloto de reactivación del transporte aéreo". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 21 July 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  124. ^ "Así será el dispositivo de seguridad en la reapertura de El Dorado". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 1 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  125. ^ News, Indra Singh Manager. "Nadi Airport to close, shipping services end Sunday". Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 July 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  126. ^ "Fiji Airways terminations, no other option says PM". Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  127. ^ "Fiji Airways is not making any money". Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  128. ^ "Support by government will bolster Fiji Airways operations". Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  129. ^ "India mulls up to $1.6 billion rescue plan for aviation sector after coronavirus". The Economic Times. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  130. ^ "Mudik Ban; Indonesia Suspends All Commercial Flights". Tempo (in Indonesian). 23 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  131. ^ "Indonesian airlines resume domestic passenger flights with strict health protocols". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  132. ^ "Coronavirus: Airlines cancel thousands of flights". BBC. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  133. ^ "Air Mauritius Goes Into-administration". Business Traveller. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  134. ^ Prasain, S.; Shrestha, P.M. (18 March 2020). "Government bans entry of all passengers, including Nepalis, from midnight March 20". The Kathmandu Post. Kathmandu. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  135. ^ "Pakistan resumes domestic flights partially as nation-wide lockdown eased". The Economic Times. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  136. ^ Calder, Simon; Hamdani, Raza (22 May 2020). "Pakistan plane crash: Khan calls for an investigation after Airbus jet come down near Karachi, killing dozens". The Independent. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  137. ^ "NEDA: Tourist arrivals in the Philippines to drop by 1.42M amid COVID-19 situation". GMA News. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  138. ^ "The 2 options left for SAA: wind down or liquidate". Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  139. ^ "Авиарейсы из-за пределов Туркменистана временно перенаправляются в Туркменабат | Общество". Туркменистан, интернет портал о культурной, деловой и развлекательной жизни в Туркменистане. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  140. ^ "Информация для граждан Республики Беларусь, рекомендации Посольства в связи с коронавирусом – Посольство Республики Беларусь в Туркменистане" [Information for citizens of the Republic of Belarus, recommendations of the Embassy in connection with the coronavirus – Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Turkmenistan]. turkmenistan.mfa.gov.by (in Russian). Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  141. ^ "International travel banned until 17 May at earliest". The Independent. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  142. ^ Nguyen, Terry (5 March 2020). "How the coronavirus outbreak is affecting US airlines". Vox. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  143. ^ Assis, Claudia (7 March 2020). "Airline stocks slammed by coronavirus fears, but experts say reaction may be overdone". MarketWatch. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  144. ^ Nguyen, Terry (10 March 2020). "Plane ticket prices are dropping because of the coronavirus". Vox. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  145. ^ Slotnick, David (25 March 2020). "Airlines would get the $60 billion bailout they asked for in the new Senate coronavirus stimulus bill, which would prohibit layoffs and ban stock buybacks and dividends". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  146. ^ Blum, Jeremy (3 September 2020). "U.S. Airline Industry Says It Won't Bounce Back From COVID-19 Until 2024". HuffPost. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  147. ^ "Hàng không không phải là thiệt hại bao nhiêu mà là cứu vãn được bao nhiêu" (in Vietnamese). Vietnamnet.
  148. ^ "10,000 Vietnam Airlines staff take unpaid leave over Covid-19 crisis". VnExpress.
  149. ^ Adhikari, Arpita; Sengupta, Joydip; Hussain, Chaudhery Mustansar (1 October 2021). "Declining carbon emission/concentration during COVID-19: A critical review on temporary relief". Carbon Trends. 5: 100131. Bibcode:2021CarbT...500131A. doi:10.1016/j.cartre.2021.100131. ISSN 2667-0569. PMC 8590614.
  150. ^ Sharmina, M.; Edelenbosch, O. Y.; Wilson, C.; Freeman, R.; Gernaat, D. E. H. J.; Gilbert, P.; Larkin, A.; Littleton, E. W.; Traut, M.; van Vuuren, D. P.; Vaughan, N. E.; Wood, F. R.; Le Quéré, C. (21 April 2021). "Decarbonising the critical sectors of aviation, shipping, road freight and industry to limit warming to 1.5–2°C" (PDF). Climate Policy. 21 (4): 455–474. Bibcode:2021CliPo..21..455S. doi:10.1080/14693062.2020.1831430. ISSN 1469-3062.
  151. ^ Gössling, Stefan; Dolnicar, Sara (January 2023). "A review of air travel behavior and climate change". WIREs Climate Change. 14 (1). doi:10.1002/wcc.802. ISSN 1757-7780.
  152. ^ Guillen-Royo, Mònica (9 December 2022). "Flying less, mobility practices, and well-being: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway". Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy. 18 (1): 278–291. doi:10.1080/15487733.2022.2043682. ISSN 1548-7733.
  153. ^ Klöwer, Milan (5 November 2021). "Reducing air travel by small amounts each year could level off the climate impact". The Conversation.
  154. ^ Guillen-Royo, Mònica (9 December 2022). "Flying less, mobility practices, and well-being: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway". Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy. 18 (1): 278–291. doi:10.1080/15487733.2022.2043682. S2CID 247513733.
  155. ^ Tao, Yanqiu; Steckel, Debbie; Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír; You, Fengqi (16 December 2021). "Trend towards virtual and hybrid conferences may be an effective climate change mitigation strategy". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 7324. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.7324T. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-27251-2. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 8677730. PMID 34916499.
  156. ^ Stoll, Christian; Mehling, Michael Arthur (23 October 2020). "COVID-19: Clinching the Climate Opportunity". One Earth. 3 (4): 400–404. Bibcode:2020OEart...3..400S. doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.09.003. ISSN 2590-3330. PMC 7508545. PMID 34173539.
  157. ^ Fragkos, Panagiotis (January 2022). "Decarbonizing the International Shipping and Aviation Sectors". Energies. 15 (24): 9650. doi:10.3390/en15249650. ISSN 1996-1073.
  158. ^ McKeever, Amy (6 March 2020). "Here's how coronavirus spreads on a plane—and the safest place to sit". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  159. ^ Passy, Jacob (14 March 2020). "Should I cancel my flight? Does recirculated air on a plane spread coronavirus? Here's what you need to know before traveling". MarketWatch. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  160. ^ a b Hoffower, Hillary (23 March 2020). "'It's Gen Z you want': Millennials are defending themselves from accusations that they're out partying and ignoring warnings amid the coronavirus pandemic". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  161. ^ Hoffower, Hillary (2 April 2020). "44 Texas spring breakers who partied in Cabo have tested positive for the coronavirus". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  162. ^ "How clean is the air on planes?". Travel. 28 August 2020. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  163. ^ CDC (11 February 2020). "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  164. ^ "Updated Interim Guidance for Airlines and Airline Crew: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  165. ^ a b Samantha Maiden (25 November 2020). "PM Scott Morrison signals tough new COVID-19 vaccine rules for international travellers who fly to Australia". News.com.au. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  166. ^ Phillip Georgiadis (23 November 2020). "Qantas to demand proof of Covid vaccination from international passengers". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  167. ^ Patrick Hatch (26 November 2020). "'No jab, no fly': COVID-19 vaccine key to opening borders, travel leaders say". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  168. ^ Cameron Jenkins (24 November 2020). "Airlines discussing requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for passengers: report". The Hill. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  169. ^ "Airlines mull mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for int'l passengers". Al Jazeera. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  170. ^ "KLM: No plans to make Covid vaccine mandatory; May need more gov't support". NLTimes. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  171. ^ "Brussels Airlines will not make proof of coronavirus vaccination mandatory". The Brussels Times. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  172. ^ Conor Pope (24 November 2020). "Covid jab: Ryanair will not ask for proof of vaccination within EU". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  173. ^ Grace Dean (25 November 2020). "5 major airlines are rolling out shared digital health passes to prove negative COVID-19 tests. They hope it's a step towards recovery for an industry set to lose $157 billion". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  174. ^ John Gapper (25 November 2020). "Those who get vaccinated deserve more freedom". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  175. ^ "Danish health ministry to develop Covid-19 'vaccine passport'". The Local DK. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  176. ^ Marie O'Halloran (27 November 2020). "System being planned to allow vaccinated airline passengers avoid restrictions". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  177. ^ Murdock, Sebastian (25 August 2021). "Delta Air Lines To Impose Monthly Charge For Unvaccinated Employees". HuffPost. Retrieved 25 August 2021.