Coronavirus

US DOT says US scheduled passenger airlines employed 718,407 workers in August, down 3.2% vs August 2019.

US TSA screened 10.4m pax at airport security on October 1-6, down 23.5% from 13.6m on October 1-6, 2019. It surpassed 2m pax on both Oct 1 and Oct 3.

Demand could spike quickly when COVID-19 restrictions ease, with many Asia-Pacific airlines needing MRO providers to help reactivate and perform checks on aircraft that have been in storage for several months.

United Airlines plans to operate its largest domestic schedule since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic this December, part of an effort to accommodate an expected surge in holiday travel.

UNITED announced plans to operate its largest domestic schedule this winter (>3,500 daily flights) since March 2020.

TAAG Angola Airlines must undergo a major restructuring and reduce its workforce by a third to stay viable as demand remains in the doldrums, its CEO has indicated.

PORTER AIRLINES announced it has officially returned to all 18 of its year-round destinations. It has 29 Dash 8s.

AIRASIA GROUP, Malaysia received approval from Danajamin for 80%-guaranteed loan (Club Facility) of up to RM500m.

AIR SEYCHELLES has entered administration to restructure; it will continue operations (it has two A320s) during process.

BRITISH AIRWAYS plans in November to return four A380s to service, initially operating to LAX, Miami and Dubai, as part of plan to expand network (246

LOT Polish Airlines COO Maciej Wilk candidly talks about changes to the airline’s fleet and sustainability initiatives.

As MRO emerges from the pandemic, we need to take stock of where we are and where we are going.

Following news of the U.S. reopening, Europe’s airlines are gearing up for a transatlantic recovery.

Flight operations are the primary focus, but scope may expand.

IATA called on governments from around the world to remove travel restrictions for vaccinated passengers, arguing that “wildly inconsistent” entry requirements have stalled the global air transport industry’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

IATA now projects cumulative net airlines industry losses of $201b in 2020-2022, including $137.7b in 2020 (revised from $126.4b), $51.8b in 2021

AEROMEXICO filed Plan of Reorganization; it is negotiating to acquire 48.9% of PLM (operates its loyalty program) from AIMIA.

AIR MAURITIUS exited voluntary administration with US$280m government loan; it cut fleet to from 15 to nine aircraft: four A350-900s, two A330-900s

QANTAS is accelerating restart of international flights to November 14, initially with three-times-weekly Sydney-LAX (787-9).

A debate is underway on whether U.S. domestic air passengers should be required to be vaccinated prior to boarding flights.

The European Commission (EC) has welcomed a commitment by 16 airlines to provide better information and timely reimbursements to passengers in case of flight cancellations.

IATA reports global pax traffic was down 56% in Aug 2021 (vs Aug 2019) on 46.2% lower capacity; cargo increased 7.7%.

Long-term need for pilots remains strong but getting through the next few years will present challenges.

LONDON OXFORD AIRPORT, UK says it is currently exceeding pre-pandemic traffic levels and is currently experiencing 30% more movements than in 2019.

United Airlines said it will soon begin the process of firing 593 employees who refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19, as the company makes good on a threat to part with unvaccinated workers following a Sept. 27 deadline.