Aviation

Bloomberg Iceland is proceeding with plans to test all incoming airline passengers for Covid-19 from June 15 in a bid to salvage its biggest export, tourism. The government’s announcement follows consultations with the country’s chief epidemiologist and a deal with DeCODE Genetics, which will assist with the testing facilities. “The economic impact of unchanged travel restrictions would be enormous,” the …

Bloomberg The UK is considering a plan to allow unhindered flights from countries with a low risk of spreading coronavirus as pressure mounts on ministers to scrap controversial quarantine plans. Arrivals in Britain will have to self-isolate for 14 days under rules to be introduced on June 8, which travel executives warn could devastate their industry. The restrictions are due …

Bloomberg Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday approved a bid by a consortium led by BTS Group Holdings Pcl for an airport development project worth 290 billion baht ($9 billion). The project will add a third passenger terminal at the U-Tapao International Airport near Pattaya, which in normal times is a tourist hot-spot, and develop other facilities like air cargo and aviation …

Bloomberg Air Mauritius administrators are running out of time to save the airline as recurrent expenses pile up, costs of servicing leases for new aircraft accumulate and unions fail to give constructive proposals on job cuts. By the end of March 2021, cumulative losses could reach 9 billion rupees ($225 million) if costs are not cut in the short term, …

Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG may have won its battle for state aid, but its surrender of airport slots to appease regulators heralds heightened conflict between European aviation’s old guard and low-cost challengers. A rivalry that’s been simmering for years has been given fresh impetus by the coronavirus crisis, with former flag carriers falling back on government support as discounters including …

Bloomberg South Africa’s government provisionally agreed to allocate at least 21 billion rand ($1.2 billion) to the country’s embattled national airline to help repay debt and resume operations after the lifting of Covid-19 travel bans. The proposed package includes about 17 billion rand that will go towards repaying South African Airways (SAA) creditors, according to a draft copy of a …

Bloomberg Top Airbus executives are planning to assess additional measures that may be necessary to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to people familiar with the matter. Among the topics to be discussed at a meeting are production rates for the plane-maker’s top-selling A320-series narrow-body jet, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing confidential deliberations. …

Bloomberg More than 200 UK travel and hospitality executives, including the head of London’s iconic Ritz hotel, joined a chorus of airlines and airports calling for the government to introduce air bridges to boost tourism and scrap contentious plans to quarantine visitors. The group of 217 — spanning hotel chains and travel agents to chefs — also want the foreign …

Bloomberg Brookfield Asset Management rejoined the race to buy Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd, according to a person familiar with the situation, as administrators prepare to narrow the field of suitors for the collapsed carrier. The Canadian asset manager submitted a bid to administrators at Deloitte, said the person, declining to be named since the proposal hasn’t been made public. Deloitte, …

Bloomberg US airlines have yet to tap $29 billion in federal pandemic relief loans as they wait to see whether the reopening of the economy revives demand and diminishes the need for money that comes with government strings attached. Although the four largest US passenger airlines have applied for the Treasury Department program, only American Airlines Group Inc has said …