Aviation Daily Roundup: March 16
March 16, 2020
Italy To Nationalize Alitalia As Part Of COVID-19 Bailout, Reports Say
Credit: Alitalia
Italy plans to nationalize Alitalia in a bid to save the already-bankrupt airline as part of a €25 billion ($27.8 billion) economic support package aimed at helping the country, still on lockdown, recover from the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, Italian media reported.

Credit: Airbus
Satair will now oversee multiple activities for the A220 (pictured).

Air New Zealand Outlines Deep Cuts To Staff Numbers
Credit: Rob Finlayson
Air New Zealand intends to reduce its workforce by up to 30% in response to network cuts caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

U.S. Airlines Cut Most Remaining Long-Haul Flights; Labor Costs Next
U.S. airlines stripped their international schedules to skeletal levels over the weekend, parking their widebody fleets and signaling difficult decisions ahead over reining in labor costs.

Austrian Airlines, Laudamotion Temporarily Suspend Flights
Following increased government travel restrictions and massive drop in demand because of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus, Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines and Ryanair subsidiary Laudamotion have decided to suspend all operations from Vienna this week.

China Southern Drops Plans To Build Up U.S. Services
Credit: Rob Finlayson
China Southern Airlines has canceled plans to increase services to the U.S., following intensification of Chinese entry controls to prevent reimportation of the novel coronavirus, said several sources close to the airlines.

India Prohibits Air Travel From Europe
Credit: Delhi Airport / Twitter
India has dramatically tightened its restrictions for international travelers, including a ban on entry from European nations.

Korean Air Deploys Passenger Aircraft On Cargo Flights
Credit: Rob Finlayson
Korean Air has begun using grounded Airbus A330 passenger aircraft for some cargo-only flights and intends to extend this initiative to more destinations.

All Big European Airlines Cut At Least 75% Of Capacity
Credit: Joe Pries
Air France-KLM, EasyJet, International Airlines Group and Ryanair all said Mar. 16 that they will cut most of their flights in the coming days as travel restrictions push demand for air transport close to zero.

Opinion: COVID-19. By The End Of May, Most World Airlines Will Be Bankrupt
Credit: Credit: Rob Finlayson
By the end of May-2020, most airlines in the world will be bankrupt. Coordinated government and industry action is needed—now—if catastrophe is to be avoided.

Middle East Air Traffic Shrinks As Borders Close
Credit: Rob Finlayson
Several Middle East nations have severely limited, or entirely banned, commercial air services as they struggle to contain the spread of the COVID-19-causing coronavirus.

UK Airlines Call For Government Bailouts Over COVID-19
Credit: Heathrow Airport / Facebook
UK airlines have joined together and called for government support as they struggle to deal with the international impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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