Aviation

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 …

Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp expects to slash flights 70% next month and deeper cuts are likely in the carrier’s home base in New York, as the spread of coronavirus erases travel demand. Daily departures will fall to 300 from about 1,000, JetBlue said. Flights leaving New York-area airports are slated to tumble to 60 but may dip to as few …

Bloomberg Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd asked the government for a A$1.4 billion ($863 million) loan to get through the coronavirus crisis. The airline, which is mostly owned by other foreign carriers, sought the aid as part of a A$5 billion support package it’s seeking for the Australian aviation industry, a spokesman for Virgin Australia said. The loss-making airline has furloughed …

Bloomberg Air Canada will cut capacity by as much as 90% next quarter and temporarily reduce its workforce by about 16,500 to reduce costs during the coronavirus crisis. The decision, effective on or around April 3, puts 15,200 unionised employees on “off-duty status” while 1,300 managers will also be furloughed, the airline said. The company said the cuts were required …

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co is “in intensive care,” its chief executive officer said, urging employees to keep cutting expenses wherever possible as the new coronavirus continues to erode travel. The US discounter is evaluating the $50 billion federal programme that will provide loans and cash payments to help carriers meet payroll and other employee costs. It’s premature to know “how …