Aviation Daily Roundup: September 2

Starting Sept. 3, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) will gradually allow international flights from Austria, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Sweden and Thailand to land at Beijing as its first point of entry.

Airline fleet-planning is taking a back seat to planning for survival amid the largest demand downturn in commercial aviation history.

Passenger numbers at Middle Eastern and North African airlines may not return to pre-COVID-19 levels before 2027 if worst-case scenarios come to pass, the body representing Arab airlines said Sept. 1.

Qantas will rely on its Boeing 787s to operate international services for the next three years, but in the longer term it still sees a role for its Airbus A380s and other types it plans to order, CEO Alan Joyce said.

Plans for the financial restructuring of long-haul specialist Virgin Atlantic were approved by the English High Court in London Sept. 2.

United Airlines will furlough more than 16,000 workers on Oct. 1, less than half its previous estimate of 36,000, as the carrier has seen a greater-than-expected participation in voluntary separation and time-off programs.

A court will auction almost all the shares in small private Chinese carrier Longjiang Airlines on Sept. 29-30.

Low-cost long-haul operator Level plans to resume services Sept. 11, with the start of a weekly rotation between its home hub of Barcelona and New York JFK.