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 This page is no longer updated but remains a source for looking back on the events our industry weathered during our toughest times.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
APAC 30 Mar 2020 Industry South Korea airline capacity steadies as virus spread slows
APAC 23 Mar 2020 Government India's commercial airlines to cease operation domestically
APAC 29 Apr 2020 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand's big domestic fear
APAC 04 May 2020 Government A 'travel bubble' between New Zealand and Australia could be a model for the future
APAC 24 Jun 2020 Qantas Qantas to cut 6000 jobs as part of COVID-19 recovery plan
APAC 29 Jun 2020 ANA ANA chief vows to push reform agenda amid pandemic struggles
APAC 16 Jul 2020 Vietnam Airlines Vietnam Airlines needs liquidity support by end of August: CEO
APAC 03 Aug 2020 Government Pandemic’s second wave: risk to Japanese domestic aviation revival
APAC 14 Sep 2020 Government New Zealand Allows Flights To Operate With No Social Distancing
APAC 15 Sep 2020 Thai Airways Thai Airways Restructuring Approved By Court
APAC 28 Sep 2020 ANA All Nippon Airways to reduce Nov-2020 international frequencies by 86%
APAC 15 Oct 2020 Qantas Qantas Won’t Fly To The United States Until At Least February
APAC 16 Nov 2020 ANA ANA to Temporarily Change Service on Select International Routes
APAC 27 Mar 2020 Qantas Qantas shares soar on financing deal as rivals cut more capacity
APAC 03 Apr 2020 Virgin Australia Australian Government Rules Out Virgin Australia Bailout
APAC 17 Apr 2020 Malaysia Airlines AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines merger an option as COVID-19 hits industry
APAC 23 Mar 2020 Government Hong Kong to ban overseas tourists and alcohol sales at thousands of bars and restaurants
APAC 09 Apr 2020 Government HK Govt To Buy Half Million Air Tickets As a Way To Inject Demand For Airlines
APAC 15 Apr 2020 Government India's Modi extends nationwide coronavirus lockdown until May 3
APAC 01 May 2020 Virgin Australia Virgin Australia Seeks To Stop Aircraft Repossession
APAC 10 May 2020 Korean Air Korean Air To Resume Some International Services In June
APAC 18 May 2020 Industry Chinese airlines may see a U-shaped recovery in air travel, as global carriers slog through 2023 to see the earliest glimpse of hope
APAC 20 May 2020 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand To Cut 1,300 Cabin Crew Positions
APAC 07 Jul 2020 Virgin Australia Virgin Australia bondholders challenge sale to Bain Capital
APAC 10 Jul 2020 Government The Maldives Is Reopening and, Yes, Even Americans Are Allowed
APAC 15 Jul 2020 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong government appoints board observers to Cathay Pacific
APAC 22 Jul 2020 ANA ANA Preps For The Return Of Its Airbus A380
APAC 17 Aug 2020 Thai Airways Thai Airways Lost $900m In The First Half Of 2020
APAC 22 Aug 2020 Government Japan, Cambodia to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions in September
APAC 20 Oct 2020 Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Will Fly Only 50% Of Pre-Crisis Capacity In 2021
APAC 14 Dec 2020 COVID-19 Singapore Opens Up Borders Again For Taiwan Travelers
APAC 03 Apr 2020 Qantas Qantas switches off inflight WiFi, movies, TV shows to save cash
APAC 17 Apr 2020 Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines pax down 63% in Mar-2020, load factor declines to 55.7%
APAC 19 Mar 2020 Government New Zealand and Australia close borders to foreigners
APAC 25 Mar 2020 COVID-19 Beijing tightens quarantine rules for overseas travelers as China reports two-fold increase in new coronavirus cases
APAC 23 Apr 2020 Government China's Domestic Business Travel Slowly Waking Up
APAC 06 May 2020 Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Announces Phased Rebuilding of Network to an Initial 52* Destinations by End of May and 80* in June
APAC 11 May 2020 Cathay Pacific Struggling Cathay Pacific hints at further job losses with pilots now in the firing line
APAC 18 May 2020 Virgin Australia Meet The 4 Companies Shortlisted For Virgin Australia
APAC 25 May 2020 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand sees annual underlying loss due to coronavirus
APAC 03 Jun 2020 Vietnam Airlines Vietnam Airlines Grows Domestic Network After Full Restoration Of Flights
APAC 05 Jul 2020 ANA Japan’s ANA and JAL secure $1.6bn in export-credit guarantees
APAC 15 Aug 2020 Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Group Sees Just 23.4% Of Seats Filled In July
APAC 19 Aug 2020 Qantas Qantas Airways expects domestic group market share to increase to 70%
APAC 21 Aug 2020 Qantas Qantas CEO: U.S. Flights Won’t Resume Until 2021 End
APAC 04 Sep 2020 Government Australia Extends Outbound Travel Ban Until Mid-December
APAC 12 Sep 2020 Government How coronavirus has made travel in China a whole lot harder for foreigners
APAC 28 Sep 2020 Hong Kong Airlines Hong Kong Airlines Seeks To Cut Flight Attendant Salaries
APAC 09 Oct 2020 Government Japan Could Be About To Reopen The Door To International Travel
APAC 20 Oct 2020 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand offers 'mystery breaks' to lure travelers back