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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 This page is no longer updated but remains a source for looking back on the events our industry weathered during our toughest times.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
Global 07 Oct 2020 IATA IATA Confident We’ll See A Common Testing Standard Before November
EMEA 07 Oct 2020 Government UK government launches global travel taskforce to look at cutting quarantine
Global 07 Oct 2020 Industry Carriers, Organizations to Test International Covid-19 Digital Travel Passport
EMEA 07 Oct 2020 Austrian Airlines Austrian cuts back winter capacity as Covid-19 cases rise
North America 06 Oct 2020 Government Trump Ends Covid-19 Relief Package Discussions Until After Election, But Pushes for Airline Funds
North America 06 Oct 2020 American Airlines American Airlines cutting nearly half its November schedule
EMEA 06 Oct 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa Group launches European business class companion fares
North America 06 Oct 2020 United United Airlines Trying New Partnership To Land Business Travelers
EMEA 06 Oct 2020 Etihad Etihad Sees Widespread Collaboration During Travel’s COVID Recovery
EMEA 06 Oct 2020 Finnair ​Finnair cuts winter capacity to match reduced demand
Global 06 Oct 2020 IATA IATA: Airlines Are Burning Through $300,000 Per Minute
North America 06 Oct 2020 Government Canadian aviation intensifies its dire warnings to government
North America 06 Oct 2020 Air Canada Why Air Canada thinks it's time to drop mandatory quarantine when travelling
EMEA 06 Oct 2020 Lufthansa No new pilots needed for ‘very long time’: Lufthansa training arm
Latin America 06 Oct 2020 Avianca Avianca’s $2 Billion Financing Approved In New York
North America 06 Oct 2020 Industry US Airlines Cut Thanksgiving Schedules Due To Poor Demand
Latin America 06 Oct 2020 LATAM LATAM Airlines to provide discounts on COVID-19 tests at Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport
North America 06 Oct 2020 United American Airlines cuts 46% - or 86,000 - flights from its November schedule while United is forced to reduce its plan by 52% - days after the top US carriers furloughed a combined 32,000 employees
North America 06 Oct 2020 United United Tests Bundling Flights With Meeting Space for Remote Workers in Subscription Model
APAC 05 Oct 2020 AirAsia AirAsia Closes Japanese Subsidiary With Immediate Effect
EMEA 05 Oct 2020 Emirates South Africa’s Testing Requirement Leads Emirates To Cancel Flights
North America 05 Oct 2020 Southwest Southwest hopes pay cuts, union deals will stave off furloughs
North America 05 Oct 2020 Delta Delta Extends Seat Blocking Policy Until 2021
EMEA 05 Oct 2020 Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic starts COVID-19 tests on crews as hopes rise for UK airport testing
Latin America 05 Oct 2020 LATAM LATAM Airlines Group announces new director of customer care
EMEA 05 Oct 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa CEO says no end in sight to burning through cash
North America 05 Oct 2020 American Airlines Irish COVID testing company teams up with American Airlines to kickstart international travel
Latin America 04 Oct 2020 LATAM LATAM Brasil Flight Crews Allow Union to Negotiate Wage Reductions
EMEA 04 Oct 2020 Government Which Countries Remain Exempt From The UK’s Quarantine Mandate?
North America 04 Oct 2020 Delta Delta Will Continue To Block First Class Seats Through January
North America 03 Oct 2020 Air Canada Air Canada Airport COVID-19 Testing Trial Shows Promising Results
EMEA 03 Oct 2020 Aer Lingus Aer Lingus Offers Summer Schedule With Flexible Booking Options
EMEA 03 Oct 2020 KLM KLM Has Submitted Its Restructuring Plan To Dutch Government
Multiple 03 Oct 2020 Government India & Germany To Hold Talks Regarding Travel Bubble Reopening
EMEA 03 Oct 2020 SWISS SWISS Plans On Flying To 85% Of Its Destinations This Winter
EMEA 03 Oct 2020 Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Looks To Serve 124 Destinations By Year’s End
EMEA 02 Oct 2020 Government European regulators propose extending temporary state aid exemptions
Latin America 02 Oct 2020 Government Argentina Claims Commercial Flights Will Resume In Mid-October
North America 02 Oct 2020 United United Focuses on Resuming Latin America, Caribbean Routes in November
EMEA 02 Oct 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa Is Planning To Pay Back The Government By The Mid 2020s
North America 02 Oct 2020 Air Canada Air Canada Finalizing Order for COVID-19 Rapid Testing Kits
North America 02 Oct 2020 Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines begins massive layoffs, cutting staff by nearly one third
North America 02 Oct 2020 Alaska Airways Alaska Airlines to offer rapid coronavirus testing for Hawaii-bound travelers
Multiple 02 Oct 2020 Government The United States And Bangladesh Sign A New Open Skies Agreement
North America 02 Oct 2020 Government The Bahamas' new travel policies will eliminate quarantine rules
EMEA 02 Oct 2020 Air France Air France Is Now The Only Continental European Airline Flying To India
Global 02 Oct 2020 Industry Travel buyers estimate significant reduction in 2021 business travel volumes
APAC 02 Oct 2020 Qantas Qantas begins cancelling international flights until March 2021
North America 01 Oct 2020 Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines Increasing Flights, Offers Home Pre-Travel Test Kits
EMEA 01 Oct 2020 KLM Air France KLM : Flight staff of Dutch airline KLM agree on wage cuts, trade union says