Aviation Daily Roundup: May 18
May 18, 2020
Air France Flights To Reach 15% Of Normal Schedule By End-June
Credit: Airbus
Subject to travel restrictions being lifted, Air France plans to gradually resume flights by the end of June, aiming to operate about 15% of its normal schedule using 75 of its 224 aircraft.

Vaccine Needed For Confidence To Return, Dubai Airports CEO Says
Credit: Dubai Airports
The timing and speed of airline traffic returning to normal will be dependent on the development of an effective vaccine or treatment for the coronavirus, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said.

El Al Future Rests On $400M Loan, State Backing
Credit: Joe Pries
Israeli carrier El Al has warned it may not be able to continue as a going concern if it fails to secure a $400 million loan from its lenders backed by state guarantees.

Icelandair Reaches Labor Agreements With Pilots, Mechanics
Credit: Rob Finlayson
Icelandair Group has negotiated new collective-labor agreements with its pilots and mechanics, including new productivity measures, which will run to 2025.

U.S. Airlines Reluctant To Enforce Mask-Wearing In Flight
Credit: United Airlines / Twitter
U.S. airlines are advising pilots and crew to avoid escalation with passengers who refuse to wear face-coverings in the cabin, illustrating the practical difficulty of enforcing mandatory masks during flight.

Ryanair Says It Will Undercut Rivals’ Fares When Traffic Resumes
Credit: Ryanair
ULCC Ryanair on May 18 foreshadowed a fare war in Europe as it pledged to further undercut any below-cost fares offered by legacy carriers that have benefited from what it described as illegal financial aid from their respective governments.

Spring Airlines To Build Up At Xiamen For Asian Expansion
Credit: Joe Pries
Spring Airlines will set up a base at Xiamen, expanding its presence at the southeastern Chinese city and aiming at Northeast and Southeast Asian markets.

Jet2 Parent Secures Government-Backed Loan
Credit: Jet2 / Facebook
Dart Group, the parent company of UK leisure airline Jet2, has been approved for a £300 million ($363 million) government-backed loan under the Bank of England’s COVID Corporate Financing Facility.

Air Canada To Furlough Half Of Workforce In June
Credit: Air Canada / Twitter
Air Canada will shrink its workforce by at least half in June, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to batter the global airline industry.

COVID-19: North America Market Update
Credit: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Welcome to Routes’ look at how the North American aviation market is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping you understand the schedule changes and manage the impact so we can navigate through this crisis together. Routes is part of the Aviation Week Network.

Daily Memo: Competition For Role As Central Chinese Freight Hub
Credit: Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone
A new airport at Ezhou, a dormitory town of Wuhan, is scheduled to go into service in 2021 as a specialist freight facility, ideally located in the center of China’s main population zone.
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