Recent weeks had seen European airlines sounding increasingly gloomy about the prospects for the summer season recovery, the thought of which likely kept many executives going over the lean COVID-hit winter months.
The quarantine measure is by far the strictest introduced by any country, with 14 days the standard baseline requirement for self-isolation on arrival.
The European Commission has said its member states should ease restrictions on non-essential travel into the European Union to take account of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, but advised adding an “emergency brake” mechanism to counter the threat of new variants.
Chilean carrier JetSMART is flying more routes currently than before the COVID-19 pandemic started—a sign that the LCC’s business model is working in South America, CEO Estuardo Ortiz said.
Heavily indebted Hainan Airlines sunk to a record CNY64 billion ($9.8 billion) net loss for 2020 as debt restructuring for its bankrupt parent company HNA Group drags on.
In a depressed air transport market where passenger transit is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 and belly hold capacity remains limited, Lufthansa Technik and Airbus have presented a new offer to Airbus A330 operators.
