Mirroring its impact on aviation, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on airline companies due to travel restrictions and a slump in demand among travelers. Several airlines have declared bankruptcy, with some ceasing operations, while other airlines reported historic reductions in flights, as well as accelerating retirements of certain aircraft types, such as the Airbus A340, Airbus A380, or the Boeing 747. By 8 October 2020, 43 commercial airlines had gone bankrupt, and many more were expected to follow. [1] In late October 2020, ACI Europe stated that 193 (mostly regional) of the 740 airports in Europe were also risking bankruptcy. [2]
In 2019, Air Canada was in talks to buy Air Transat for C$720 million but later revised their price to C$180 million in October 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. [55]
In November 2020, Korean Air (more than 170 aircraft) parent Hanjin announced a W1.8 trillion ($1.62 billion) takeover bid for rival Asiana Airlines (82 aircraft) from Kumho Industrial, becoming one of the ten largest airlines in the world, as state-owned Korea Development Bank will invest W800 billion into Hanjin KAL. [56]
Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and was originally planned by its co-founders Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary to fly between London and the Falkland Islands. Soon after changing the name to Virgin Atlantic Airways, Fields sold his shares in the company after disagreements with Richard Branson over the management of the company. The maiden flight from London–Gatwick to Newark took place on 22 June 1984.
Air Mauritius is the flag carrier airline of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with its hub based at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. The company was placed in voluntary administration on 22 April 2020 in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and exited administration mid-2021.
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C., operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, flying to over 150 international destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania from its base at Hamad International Airport, using a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Qatar Airways Group employs more than 43,000 people. The carrier has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since October 2013.
Fiji Airways is the flag carrier of Fiji and operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 15 countries and 27 cities including, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands (Oceania), Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Canada and the United States. It has an extended network of 108 international destinations through its codeshare partners. The Fiji Airways Group brings in 64 percent of all visitors who fly to Fiji, employs over 1000 employees, and earns revenues of over FJD$815 million (US$390m).
Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and one of the country's two major airlines. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Abu Dhabi International Airport. Etihad commenced operations in November 2003. It is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates. The name Etihad is Arabic for 'Union'.
Jet Airways (India) Limited, doing business as Jet Airways, was an Indian airline based in Delhi, with a training and developmental centre in Mumbai. Incorporated in April 1992 as a limited liability company, the airline began operations as an air taxi operator in 1993. It began full-fledged operations in 1995 with international flights added in 2004. The airline went public in 2005 and in 2007, when it acquired Air Sahara. It was the first and only privately owned Indian airline before the founding of Vistara in 2015. The airline is expected to re-commence its flight operations by the end of 2023, making it the first Indian airline to be revived after ceasing operations.
Jet2.com Limited is a British low-cost leisure airline offering scheduled and charter flights from the United Kingdom. As of 2022, it is the third-largest scheduled airline in the UK, behind easyJet and British Airways. Jet2 is also officially the largest tour operator in the UK after overtaking TUI in 2023. Its headquarters are located at Leeds Bradford Airport. Further bases are at Belfast–International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London–Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle airports, with a base opening at Liverpool In March 2024. The company holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. Jet2 also offers a charter service through its Jet2charters brand.
Air Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd is the national carrier of Zimbabwe, headquartered on the property of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, in Harare. From its hub at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the carrier used to operate a network within southern Africa that also included Asia and London-Gatwick. Following financial difficulties, Air Zimbabwe ceased operations in late February 2012. Serving a reduced domestic network, the carrier resumed operations for a short period between May and early July 2012, when flights were again discontinued. Some flights were restarted on a discontinuous basis in November that year. The airline resumed operating some domestic routes as well as the regional service to Johannesburg on a daily basis in April 2013.
Air Astana is an airline and the flag carrier of Kazakhstan. The airline group is headquartered in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It operates scheduled international and domestic services across 64 routes from its two hubs; Almaty International Airport, and Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport.
Blue Panorama Airlines S.p.A. was an Italian airline headquartered in Fiumicino operating scheduled and charter flights mostly to domestic and international leisure destinations. As of late 2021, the airline was in the process to change its brand name to Luke Air also retiring their former Blu-express brand used for domestic and short-haul destinations. Additional business charter flights used to be operated under the name Executive Blue. As of late October 2021, it suspended all operations until further notice and was subsequently liquidated in late 2022.
Titan Airways is a British charter airline founded in 1988 and based at London Stansted Airport. The carrier specialises in short-notice ACMI and wet lease operations as well as ad-hoc passenger and cargo charter services to tour operators, corporations, governments and the sports and entertainment sectors. The company holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian or AUA, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its hub. As of July 2016, the airline flew to six domestic and more than 120 international year-round and seasonal destinations in 55 countries and is a member of the Star Alliance.
Jettime A/S, previously known as Jet Time, is a Danish charter airline with its head office in Kastrup, Tårnby Municipality, and its main base at Copenhagen Airport.
La Compagnie, legally incorporated as DreamJet SAS, is a French boutique airline founded by Frantz Yvelin and based at Orly Airport in Paris, with headquarters in Le Bourget in the Paris metropolitan area. It offers all-business class flights between Europe and Newark Liberty International Airport.
This article explores the history of Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of the Republic of Singapore and based at the Singapore Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines, also known by its abbreviations of SIA or SQ, has often been ranked throughout its history as either amongst the best or the best airline in the world.
This is a list of aviation-related events in 2019.
Many aviation-related events took place in 2020. The aviation industry was impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the airline industry due to travel restrictions and a decimation in demand among travelers.
Many aviation-related events took place in 2021. The aviation industry continued to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many aviation-related events took place in 2022. Throughout the year, aviation industry was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"For all intents and purposes, [SAA] has already collapsed," says Adrian Saville, founder of Cannon Asset Managers in Johannesburg.
...the only remaining options are either the company winds down by terminating employees with an agreement, or they apply to the courts to discontinue business rescue and place the airline into liquidation. "The practitioners have presented a collective agreement to all unions and representatives of non-unionized employees of SAA on April 17, 2020, for consideration and negotiation, and have advised that agreement must be reached by April 24, 2020.
...we'll be suspending around 60 per cent of our domestic flying until the end of May 2020.
All Qantas and Jetstar international flights from Australia will be suspended from the end of March until at least 31 May 2020. Some additional services may be considered to assist with repatriation. More than 150 aircraft will be grounded during this time, including all of Qantas' A380s, 747s and B787s.
The statement went on to say that because of the ski valley's B Corp ethos – which involves partaking in the local community – it has acknowledged the reality that "the uncertainty of current and future travel restrictions to New Mexico made it impossible to deliver a reliable Taos Air service this year."