Aviation

Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp will park 100 aircraft and reduce flying capacity 70% this month as passenger loads plummet because of the new coronavirus. The carrier expects the number of passengers to fall to 7,000 daily in April from about 120,000 that it would typically expect, a plunge of 94%, JetBlue said in a statement. The New York-based airline also ...

Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG Chief Executive Carsten Spohr is facing mounting pressure to hand over an equity stake to the German government as the airline fights for survival in the coronavirus crisis, according to people familiar with the matter. Lufthansa representatives are locked in talks with the cabinet in Berlin, the people said, asking not to be identified because the ...

Bloomberg Kenya Airways Plc is appealing for a cash bailout from the government to be able to survive the next six months as the partially state-owned carrier runs out of money after grounding all international flights to help contain the coronavirus. It will cost the airline about $5 million a month to manage its grounded fleet and retain a workforce ...

Bloomberg Swissport International AG, the airport ground services firm owned by beleaguered Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co, hired advisers to review its debt as passenger air traffic grinds to a halt because of coronavirus restrictions. The company appointed boutique financial services firm Houlihan Lokey and lawyers White & Case LLP to help the firm “strengthen its financial position,” it said ...

Bloomberg EasyJet Plc’s founder escalated his feud with the board, calling for the ouster of a director in a bid to pressure the discount airline into cancelling a 4.5 billion-pound ($5.6 billion) aircraft order. Stelios Haji-Ioannou, EasyJet’s biggest owner with a 34% stake, proposed a general meeting to remove director Andreas Bierwirth, according to a letter sent to the airline’s ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co is offering employee buyouts and weighing additional savings measures such as new output cuts, as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to depress aircraft sales for years. While the company has yet to alter production plans, it’s taking a closer look at manufacturing rates for wide-body jets amid plunging demand, said a person familiar with the matter. Boeing was ...

Bloomberg American Airlines Group Inc botched its offer of paid time off to some pilots, forcing the carrier to pull back offers for 1,200 slots and award short-term voluntary leave to just 600 of them. One hundred pilots of Airbus SE A320 and Boeing Co 737 narrow-body jets started leave from April 1, the airline said by email. Another 500 ...

Bloomberg An ugly feud is escalating between Qantas Airways Ltd and its closest Australian competitor over the ethics of state aid, just as airlines facing collapse around the world race to secure bailouts. With demand all but gone, Qantas is hunkering down to weather the coronavirus crisis after a run of record profits. It has furloughed most staff and used ...

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co will offer the first all-cargo flights in its 48-year history as passenger demand keeps sliding amid the spread of the new coronavirus. The flights will be offered on a charter basis, and only pilots and other needed crew members will be on board, the airline said in a blog post. Unlike some larger carriers, Southwest will ...

Bloomberg British Airways (BA) suspended operations at its second London hub at Gatwick airport as the airline industry enters deep hibernation to weather the impact of the coronavirus. With just over a week to go until the Easter holidays, the IAG SA-owned carrier is contacting customers with the news that flights are off, a spokesperson said by email. Gatwick largely ...