Aviation

Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG will significantly curtail flights and ground more planes in a new sign of the coronavirus’s escalating toll on travel. The German flag carrier will cut as much as a quarter of its short- and medium-haul flights across all brands in the coming weeks. The number of grounded aircraft for long-haul services will rise to 23 from ...

Bloomberg Growing fear over coronavirus is battering commercial airline stocks, but private jet operators are seeing a spike in demand as well-heeled travellers look to minimise their public exposure and find alternatives to suspended flights. “There’s undoubtedly been a rise in demand for short-notice, on-demand charter,” said Adam Twidell, chief executive officer of jet charter provider PrivateFly. “We’ve had a ...

Bloomberg South Africa almost doubled the level of funding for the national airline to 16.4 billion rand ($1.1 billion), cash that will go towards supporting a restructuring plan for the technically insolvent carrier. The bailout will be used to service and pay debt previously guaranteed by the state over the “medium term,” finance minister Tito Mboweni said in his budget ...

Bloomberg Airlines are turning to the world’s hardest-hitting disinfectants to rid planes of the coronavirus. Qantas Airways Ltd, Korean Air Lines Co and Singapore Airlines Ltd’s Scoot unit are among carriers that helped evacuate people from the outbreak’s epicenter, the Chinese city of Wuhan, and from a cruise ship off Japan. They’ve stepped up aircraft-cleaning efforts as a result, trying ...

Bloomberg British Airways (BA) became the first major carrier to cut services to Italy following the spread of the coronavirus there, saying it will eliminate 22 round-trip flights to Milan through March 11. BA said that it took the decision following a reduction in demand for travel to the city in the Lombardy region, where the Italian outbreak is concentrated. ...

Bloomberg More than 25,000 Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd staff are taking unpaid leave, underscoring the depth of the airline’s troubles as it contends with the coronavirus. Chief Executive Officer Augustus Tang said in an internal memo that Cathay’s challenges “remain acute,” and he thanked employees for their support. The Hong Kong-based airline this month asked its 33,000 workers to take ...

Bloomberg The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is recommending another safety fix for Boeing Co’s grounded 737 Max jet, adding a new hurdle as the US planemaker pushes to return the grounded plane to service. The proposed order would require inspection and possible replacement of a metallic lining that protects wiring from lightning strikes, the regulator said in the Federal ...

Bloomberg Creditors of Jet Airways India are seeking court action to save the bankrupt carrier from liquidation as a key deadline looms. Lenders to Jet Airways plan to request an Indian court extend a mid-March deadline for creditors to agree on a resolution plan or allow the carrier go into liquidation, said people familiar with the matter. Potential buyers of ...

Bloomberg US airlines posted the biggest two-day drop in more than three years on deepening fears that the spread of the coronavirus will further stymie travel. American Airlines Group Inc led the decline, tumbling the most on the S&P 500 and reaching the lowest since its 2013 merger with US Airways. President Donald Trump’s administration is considering whether to adopt ...

Bloomberg United Airlines Holdings Inc withdrew its 2020 profit forecast, citing the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The uncertainty surrounding the virus means United can’t guarantee its earlier goal of earning $11 to $13 a share this year, according to a regulatory filing. The earnings target is still within reach if the outbreak runs its course by ...