Asia-Pacific LCCs face major hurdles as they struggle to survive the network shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 crisis, but their business models also give them some factors in their favor as they plan for recovery.
FRANKFURT—An extraordinary assembly of shareholders and the European Commission (EC) has approved a €9 billion ($10.1 billion) state bailout for Lufthansa, clearing the way for the airline to begin its long route to recovery and avoid an imminent bankruptcy filing.
UK-based easyJet is launching a share placement worth up to £450 million ($558 million), in the budget carrier’s latest move to shore up its finances since the COVID-19 crisis took hold.
Qantas Airways has unveiled a three-year strategy to prepare for a slow airline industry recovery, including cutting 6,000 workers, storing or retiring larger widebody airliners, and raising A$1.9 billion ($1.3 billion) in new equity to fund its plans.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) members on June 24 acknowledged a need to reform spectrum decision-making following their controversial action to grant Ligado Networks the use of frequency bands near those used for GPS and satellite communications.
Aviation industry groups have appealed to the European Commission (EC) to extend the slot-waiver policy into the northern winter season. The groups say such an extension is essential for many airlines to survive.
In a rare example of an airline announcing growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korean regional startup Hi Air has bought two ATR 72-500s from the manufacturer’s asset-management portfolio.
Machinists union members at Textron Aviation voted June 23 to reject the company’s request to open labor contract negotiations early as it adjusts to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
American ULCCs expanded aggressively in the years following the last financial crisis, capitalizing on the industry’s strict capacity discipline and slow pace of economic recovery.
Dubai-based Emirates is to reintroduce the Airbus A380 to its schedules but on June 24 halted its services to Pakistan, following the discovery of a large number of COVID-19-infected passengers had traveled on one of its flights.
More than a dozen aerospace organizations have urged the European Commission (EC) to link recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to new measures designed to enhance the sector’s environmental credentials.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) will be waiving all parking fees at its airports and extending the 50% discount on takeoff and landing fees to all airlines flying into the kingdom.
EU member states are finalizing a list of countries from which inbound travel will continue to be banned once the region’s borders reopen July 1, using criteria including the health situations in those countries.
IATA is urging governments to replace travel quarantines with multi-step processes that would mitigate the risk of a COVID-19 infected passenger boarding a flight and reduce the chance of any infected person transmitting the disease.
The Indian government has signaled it is willing to discuss establishing bilateral corridors with some countries to facilitate repatriation flights and essential travel.
Sun Country Airlines received a greenlight from the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to extend suspensions to a handful of large hub airports through Sept. 30, as it looks to keep a lid on costs while demand remains weak.
