Aviation Daily Roundup: March 17

French minister of economy and finance Bruno Le Maire has pledged to support big companies, including Air France, by any means necessary as the government unveiled an initial €45 billion ($49.6 billion) package of financial aid for struggling businesses hit by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbus has decided to “temporarily pause production” at its French and Spanish sites for four days, starting Mar. 17.

Cathay Pacific is preparing to operate a “skeleton” passenger flight schedule for April, reducing capacity around 90% after travel demand plummeted amid the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.

Aviation regulators and governments must exempt cargo airline flight deck personnel from increasingly tight travel restrictions if vital supplies are not to dry up in the global health crisis, IATA and the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) contend.

LCC Cebu Pacific has announced it will suspend all domestic and international flights starting Mar. 19 until Apr. 14 to comply with the growing list of various community quarantine measures across the Philippines following the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

IATA expects the global airline industry to need $150-200 billion in various forms of government financial assistance to survive the current COVID-19 crisis, the association’s director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said Mar. 17.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is realigning its management board as a result of the challenges posed by the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

Korean Air’s parent company Hanjin KAL has hit back with regulatory complaints against two shareholders that are attempting to take over management control of the flag carrier.

British Airways’ (BA) unions are worried about potential redundancies after the airline launched a formal consultation over employment measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

Industry insiders and analysts are increasingly forecasting a 20% or greater falloff in commercial aftermarket revenue this year for manufacturers and other aerospace and defense companies with stakes in the business due to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis and the collapse in Western air travel.

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.

Increasingly strict border and quarantine requirements are curtailing international air travel in Asia as governments across the continent ramp up their response to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.

Southwest Airlines announced plans to trim capacity by 20% in April and May, citing a “dramatic decline” in net bookings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing government travel restrictions.