Aviation Daily Roundup: March 27

U.S. House lawmakers approved a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package including up to $58 billion in financial aid for airlines, paving the way for President Donald Trump to sign the bill into law this afternoon.

Despite a protracted downturn in the aviation sector across the globe following the coronavirus outbreak, China is expected to begin a multi-stage reconstruction project of Changsha Huanghua International Airport this October.

The FAA has made several changes and is preparing more guidance documents and policy statements to help the industry navigate some short-term roadblocks presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

Lufthansa and Lufthansa Group LCC Eurowings are introducing further measures to ensure physical distance between passengers during their journey as the carriers continue flights amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

London Gatwick Airport said it will consolidate all operations into its South Terminal starting Apr. 1 and limit scheduled flights to an eight-hour period from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in measures taken to protect staff and passengers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Qatar Airways is expanding capacity to Australia and will add 48,000 extra repatriation seats to the market to help stranded passengers get home.

Ukraine International Airlines said the government of Ukraine has decided to prolong a nationwide quarantine through Apr. 24.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to vaporize demand worldwide, Brazilian operator Azul is attempting to strike an optimistic tone and hopes to operate close to a full schedule by July.

The drastic reduction in commercial aviation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has slashed the number of atmospheric data reports from aircraft in flight, which is impacting weather forecasts.

Russian airframer Irkut’s fourth MC-21-300 flight prototype has arrived at the Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky, near Moscow, ahead of certification trials.

Brazilian operator Azul remains confident that its agreements to sublease Embraer E195-E1 models to Breeze Aviation in the U.S. and LOT Polish Airlines will remain intact even if planned deliveries of the jets shift to the right.