Aviation Daily Roundup: May 1
May 01, 2020![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/045_737-800_ja04gr_0.jpg?itok=0eqRssff)
Spring Airlines Profit Streak Ends As COVID-19 Strikes
Credit: Nigel Howarth/Aviation Week
COVID-19 has ended Spring Airlines’ year-long run of double-digit quarterly profit increases as China’s largest LCC recorded a CNY227 million ($32 million) loss for Q1 2020.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/513_737-800_b-5798_0.jpg?itok=oDKxNlwB)
Asset Disposals Keep Hainan Airlines Profitable In 2019, Massive Loss in Q1
Credit: Nigel Howarth
Troubled Hainan Airlines managed to get back into the black for fiscal 2019, posting a net profit of CNY543 million ($77 million) as it was kept afloat by a series of asset disposals.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/airbus_cabin-cargo_0.jpg?itok=Jn-oLpYI)
Airbus Developing Main Cabin Freight Capacity System
Credit: Airbus
With an increasing number of carriers pressing passenger aircraft into service as temporary freighters during the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbus is developing a main cabin cargo-stacking modification for its A330 and A350-family aircraft.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/633_777-300_g-ymml_0.jpg?itok=6tPrJGew)
British Airways Could Leave Gatwick Airport
Credit: Nigel Howarth/Aviation Week
British Airways (BA) could pull out of London Gatwick Airport (LGW) as part of plans to downsize operations once the COVID-19 pandemic subside
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/orig_delta_md88_n938dl_jfk_0915_source_joe_pries_small_0.jpg?itok=-JP0_8lu)
Delta Air Lines To Retire MD-88s, MD-90s In June
Credit: Joe Pries
The last McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and MD-90 jetliners will disappear from U.S. skies by summer, as Delta Air Lines prepares to retire both types in June.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/orig_generic_sunset_777-300_source_joe_pries_2.jpg?itok=1pyqQr6e)
ICAO Outlines Potential COVID-19 Airline Industry Losses
Credit: Joe Pries
ICAO believes that the world airline industry could face a contraction of as much as 1.5 billion international air travelers this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/photo-2020-04-30-08-32-16.jpg?itok=-bF7EQ74)
Avianca Launches Cargo Flights To China Using 787-8
Credit: Avianca via Twitter
Avianca has operated its first cargo flight between Colombia and China using a Boeing 787-8 passenger aircraft reconfigured to carry general cargo and medical supplies.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/ryanair_tail_source_ryanair_0.jpg?itok=kDnMVhfC)
Ryanair May Cut 3,000 Jobs; Predicts 35% Drop In Annual Passengers
Credit: Ryanair
Ryanair Holdings is expecting a net loss of over €100 million ($110 million) for its fiscal first quarter (Q1), with further losses during the peak summer season—a direct effect of the precipitous decline in traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-05/source_embraer_twitter_0.jpg?itok=C3qgsvze)
Embraer Commercial Eyes Corporate Realignment, Shelves Turboprop
Credit: Embraer / Twitter
Embraer’s commercial operation has shifted focus to realigning with the rest of the company and conserving cash, with new-product development—including a notional turboprop—put on hold while the business regains its footing amid the Boeing deal collapse and coronavirus crisis, Embraer Commercial Aviation president and CEO John Slattery said.
A daily roundup of air transport news.
Subscribers of Aviation Daily can access all these articles in full. Log in now.
Not a subscriber? Sign up here.