Aviation

Bloomberg Boeing Co faces a quandary as it reopens its Seattle-area factories: how to keep its employees safe while minimising the use of protective gear that’s desperately needed for medical workers. The planemaker plans to limit scarce N95 masks for plant workers, relying mainly on cloth face coverings. In an April 9 letter to Washington state officials, Boeing cited new …

Bloomberg India’s Aviation Ministry has asked airlines to take travel bookings only after a final decision on lifting or easing restrictions on domestic and international flights is announced. “The Ministry of Civil Aviation clarifies that so far no decision has been taken to open domestic or international operations,” Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a tweet. It wasn’t immediately clear …

Bloomberg With Covid-19 grounding flights, emptying hotel rooms, and turning popular destinations into ghost towns, this might seem the most futile time to think about frequent flyer miles and loyalty points. In mid-March, the US State Department issued a “do not travel” alert for the entire world. Travel is the last thing on most people’s minds, according to a survey …

Bloomberg Struggling passenger airlines can turn planes into cargo-only aircraft provided they take steps to prevent fires and keep weight balanced, US aviation regulators said in new guidance. With passenger demand plunging to nearly zero, some airlines have begun carrying more cargo to provide revenue. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) guidance will allow them to carry it in what had …

Bloomberg South African Airways (SAA) plans to lay off its entire 4,700-strong workforce after failing to persuade the government to provide more financial help, a move that threatens to ground the 86-year-old national carrier for good. The state-owned airline has offered severance deals to all staff from the end of this month after administrators concluded that a successful turnaround is …

Bloomberg Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd has been offered a A$200 million ($127 million) lifeline from the Queensland government less than 24 hours after Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister all but ruled out nationalising the embattled carrier. The funding is conditional on the Federal government coordinating a response involving all states and territories. Under the proposal the company would remain headquartered in …

Bloomberg General Electric Co’s aircraft-leasing division scrapped orders for the 737 Max worth at least $6.9 billion based on list prices, dealing another blow to Boeing Co as it grapples with a plunge in jetliner demand because of the coronavirus pandemic. The cancellation of 69 undelivered jets stems from an agreement with Boeing to “rebalance” the order book, GE Capital …

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines, a discounter that flies mostly in the US, is the world’s largest carrier — for now. The ranking is based on the number of seats flown this week, as compiled by aviation data provider OAG. Southwest moved to the top spot as its larger rivals nearly abandoned international routes after governments worldwide restricted travel to stem the …

Bloomberg EasyJet Plc boosted its cash reserves to ride out the coronavirus pandemic, saying it now has sufficient resources to see it through the end of the year. The shares rose after Britain’s biggest discount airline said it had borrowed 400 million pounds ($500 million) against its jet fleet, and may raise 550 million pounds more from selling planes to …

Bloomberg VietJet Aviation JSC said it has reached agreements with domestic and international lenders to delay repayments on about 80% of loans for its aircraft purchases after the budget carrier experienced a significant drop in passengers during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The lenders, which include HSBC Holdings PLC and Citibank NA, also agreed to delay repayments for three to 12 …