Japan Airlines (JAL) now expects to record a net loss of ¥300 billion ($2.9 billion) for 2020 after its hopes for traffic recovery in the current quarter were dashed by a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country.
Long-haul leisure carrier Air Belgium has announced plans to diversify into dedicated freighter operations, tapping CEO Niky Terzakis’ cargo industry background.
Russian airlines carried 69.2 million passengers in 2020, down 46% year-over-year (YOY), according to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia.
Vietjet Air ended pandemic-stricken 2020 with a VND70 billion ($3 million) post-tax profit, boosted by strong ancillary revenue which accounted for 50% of all income.
Ryanair said it expected to make a full-year net loss of as much as €950 million ($1.1 billion) in the most challenging year in its history, but sounded an optimistic note about a summer recovery as vaccines are rolled out across Europe.
A proposal reported to be under consideration within the Biden administration to require domestic travelers to test negative for coronavirus before flying could undermine a U.S. air travel recovery that has barely gotten off the ground.
Creditors of HNA Group, parent of multiple Chinese airlines including the country’s largest private carrier Hainan Airlines, filed an application to a Chinese court to place the company in bankruptcy Jan. 29.
Rwanda’s flag-carrier RwandAir is launching a new route to Central African Republic’s capital Bangui, while its flights to London have been suspended by the UK government.
Gulf carriers Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways aim to reroute more passengers from Africa via their respective hubs in Dubai (DXB) and Doha (DOH) once the COVID-19 pandemic eases.
In 2020 airlines in Asia-Pacific registered just 18% of the passenger volumes seen in 2019, a decline not previously seen in the history of commercial aviation in the region.
JetBlue Airways is joining other U.S. airlines in bracing for a tough 2021 first quarter (Q1), while continuing work to crystallize its strategy for serving London.
Executives at American Airlines are confident that moves made last year to streamline the carrier’s fleet and headcount will reap big gains once demand picks up, although the timing of a recovery remains uncertain.
IndiGo increased its fleet by five aircraft in the last three months of 2020 and is now aiming to scale up capacity to 75-80% of 2020’s flying during the current quarter.
