COVID-19 News Roundup

Tracking the impact of the pandemic on travel

COVID-19 News Roundup

When the pandemic was first declared in March 2020, ATPCO understood the value of keeping track of industry-related news in the quickly changing environment. We tracked aviation news and developments from the start of the pandemic through December 2020. This page is no longer updated but remains a source for looking back on the events our industry weathered during our toughest times. We are now looking forward to recovery and a post-recovery world.

   
Region Date Organization Summary
EMEA 31 Aug 2020 Government Ghana Prepares To Resume International Flights Tomorrow
EMEA 09 Sep 2020 Finnair ​Finnair slashes planned October capacity
EMEA 13 Sep 2020 South African Airways South African Airways Saga Continues As It Needs Funding Again
EMEA 14 Sep 2020 Government Saudi Arabia Moves To Reduce International Travel Restrictions
EMEA 18 Sep 2020 South African Airways South African Government Fails To Provide SAA Funding By Deadline
EMEA 23 Sep 2020 KLM Dutch Airline KLM Blames British Quarantine Rules as it Postpones Further Capacity Increases
EMEA 26 Sep 2020 Air France Air France Capacity Down About 50% In November And December
EMEA 28 Sep 2020 Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Receives $2bn From Its Government
EMEA 08 Oct 2020 Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic Supports The UK Government’s Testing Plan
EMEA 10 Oct 2020 Alitalia Italian ministers sign decree establishing Alitalia successor
EMEA 16 Oct 2020 Government France to roll out airport testing this month - minister
EMEA 21 Oct 2020 IATA ​IATA downgrades Africa and Middle East traffic forecasts
EMEA 17 Mar 2020 Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines to suspend all operations
EMEA 19 Mar 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa warns it will emerge from pandemic as smaller business
EMEA 27 Mar 2020 KLM Reports Suggest KLM is Retiring The Boeing 747 After The Weekend
EMEA 03 Apr 2020 KLM Air France-KLM in talks on multibillion euro state-backed loan package
EMEA 03 Apr 2020 Air France Air France-KLM Seeks $6.5 Billion Lifeline From Government
EMEA 17 Apr 2020 Lufthansa No Austrian Airlines scheduled services until at least mid-May
EMEA 27 Mar 2020 COVID-19 Russia to ground international flights on March 27 due to coronavirus
EMEA 03 Apr 2020 Amadeus Amadeus Stacks Cash For Worst-Case 2020 Where Air Traffic Stays Down 80 Percent
EMEA 31 Mar 2020 Transavia Airlines Transavia Airlines (Netherlands) cancels all flights until May 6
EMEA 23 Apr 2020 Industry Russia now Europe's #1 airline market, thanks to domestic size
EMEA 01 May 2020 SWISS SWISS to receive government-backed loans to help it through the liquidity
EMEA 04 May 2020 Norwegian Air Norwegian Air shareholders back £770m rescue plan
EMEA 11 May 2020 British Airways British Airways owner says burning cash, quarantine plan will make it worse
EMEA 09 May 2020 airBaltic airBaltic Secures €250 Million From Latvian Government
EMEA 17 May 2020 Emirates Emirates Considers Cutting 30,000 Jobs, Retire A380s Faster
EMEA 20 May 2020 Government Greece reopening to tourists
EMEA 26 May 2020 Industry EU seeks airline input on new virus guidance
EMEA 28 May 2020 Industry More than 6,000 flights over Europe in one day - first time since March
EMEA 02 Jun 2020 KLM KLM Will Add Summer Flights to European Tourist Destinations
EMEA 07 Jun 2020 Government British Airways, Ryanair and EasyJet Could Sue to Overturn UK Quarantine Rules
EMEA 10 Jun 2020 El Al El Al airline may be heading back into state hands
EMEA 18 Jun 2020 Air France Air France Readies Plan for 8,300 Voluntary Job Cuts
EMEA 30 Jun 2020 Government UK border restrictions to ease but details not released
EMEA 13 Jul 2020 Etihad Etihad To Offer At Home COVID-19 Tests Before Flights
EMEA 19 Jul 2020 South African Airways Leaner South African Airways Can Stay Independent: Government Official
EMEA 27 Jul 2020 Air France Air France’s Fleet Plans: What Does The Future Hold?
EMEA 24 Jul 2020 Emirates Emirates offers to pay passengers’ Covid-19 medical and quarantine expenses
EMEA 03 Aug 2020 Air France Air France-KLM Posts €2.6B Q2 Loss
EMEA 13 Aug 2020 KLM KLM links up with Allen & Overy on EUR 3.4 billion loan
EMEA 21 Aug 2020 Industry Has Europe’s Aviation Recovery Already Peaked?
EMEA 07 Sep 2020 Air Portugal TAP awarded first €500 million of state rescue loan
EMEA 13 Sep 2020 Government Which European Countries Remain Exempt From UK Quarantine Rules?
EMEA 15 Sep 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa could cut more planes and jobs than planned: sources
EMEA 15 Sep 2020 Alitalia Alitalia To Remain A Full Service Carrier
EMEA 19 Sep 2020 El Al El Al Prepares To Reopen Passenger Flights From October
EMEA 22 Sep 2020 British Airways BRITISH AIRWAYS AND HEATHROW WARN ‘ACTION NEEDED IMMEDIATELY’ TO LIMIT DAMAGE CAUSED BY TRANSATLANTIC TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
EMEA 28 Sep 2020 Air France Air France to operate 50 per cent of schedules during November and December
EMEA 05 Oct 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa CEO says no end in sight to burning through cash