Transat confirms the temporary layoff of 70% of its staff – Repatriation operations to end April 1

Transat A.T. Inc. announced that it has temporarily laid off about 70% of its workforce in Canada. The final Air Transat flight prior to the full suspension of its operations is scheduled for April 1.

On March 18, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Transat announced the gradual temporary halting of all its flights until April 30.

Operations are being stopped gradually in order to enable Transat to repatriate as many of its customers as possible to their home countries.

As of March 18, some 65,000 Canadian Transat customers were at Sun or Europe destinations. By March 22, about 40,000, or more than 60 % of them, had been returned to Canada.

Simultaneously, as also announced March 18, Transat has been forced to proceed with layoffs affecting about 70% of its staff, or 3,600 people. Some of these layoffs are effective immediately, while others will take effect following advance notice of up to one month. They include all flight crew personnel. Similar measures are being implemented in the other countries where Transat has employees. Executives who are not being laid off have accepted voluntary pay cuts, as have members of the Board of Directors.

Air Transat moves up the retirement date of the Airbus A310

Air Transit has moved up its planned Airbus A310 retirement date from April 27, 2020 to March 31, 2020.

This is due to Air Transat plan to suspend all schedule passenger flights for the month of April.

Right now, the last planned Air Transat scheduled revenue flight is scheduled to be flight TS 293 from Manchester to Toronto (Pearson) on March 31 per Airline Route.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Transat Airbus A310-308 C-GTSH (msn 599) YYC (Chris Sands). Image: 926716.

Air Transat aircraft slide show:

Airbus announces measures to bolster liquidity and balance sheet in response to coronavirus

Airbus has made this announcement:

New € 15 billion credit facility
Withdrawal of 2019 dividend proposal with cash value of € 1.4 billion
Suspension of top up pension funding
2020 guidance withdrawn
Strong focus on support to customers and delivery

Airbus SE (stock exchange symbol: AIR) announces measures to bolster its liquidity and balance sheet in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to assess the ongoing situation and the impact on its business, customers, suppliers and the industry as a whole.

“Our first priority is protecting people while supporting efforts globally to curb the spread of the coronavirus. We are also safeguarding our business to protect the future of Airbus and to ensure we can return to efficient operations once the situation recovers. We have withdrawn our 2020 guidance due to the volatility of the situation. At the same time, we are committed to securing the liquidity of the Company at all times through a prudent balance sheet policy. I am convinced that Airbus and the broader aerospace sector will overcome this critical period,” said Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury.

Reflecting the Company’s prudent balance sheet policy and to ensure financial flexibility, Airbus’ management has received approval from the Board of Directors to: secure a new credit facility amounting to € 15 billion in addition to the existing € 3 billion revolving credit facility; withdraw the 2019 dividend proposal of € 1.80 per share with an overall cash value of approximately € 1.4 billion; and suspend the voluntary top up in pension funding. Given the limited visibility due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the 2020 guidance is withdrawn. Operational scenarios, including measures to minimise cash requirements, have been identified and will be activated depending on the further development of the pandemic.

With these decisions, the Company has significant liquidity available to cope with additional cash requirements related to the coronavirus. Liquidity resources previously standing at approximately € 20 billion, comprising around € 12 billion in financial assets at hand and around € 8 billion in undrawn credit lines, were further bolstered by converting an existing € 5 billion credit line into a new facility amounting to € 15 billion. Available liquidity now amounts to approximately € 30 billion.

By maintaining production, managing its resilient backlog, supporting its customers and securing financial flexibility for its operations, Airbus intends to secure business continuity for itself even in a protracted crisis. Safe and efficient air travel is a key backbone of global economic development and cultural exchange. Airbus therefore highly welcomes governmental efforts around the globe to stabilise this industry by supporting the financial health of its airline customers and its suppliers. Airbus continues to monitor the overall health of the industry.

Airbus has convened its 2020 Annual General Meeting in Amsterdam on 16 April. Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, Airbus discourages physical attendance and strongly encourages shareholders to vote by proxy in line with public health and safety measures.

Emirates suspends most passenger operations due to the coronavirus

Emirates has made this announcement:

Emirates retains cargo operations, but temporarily suspends most passenger operations by March 25
dnata significantly reduces operations, including temporary closure of operations at some international locations where demand is low
Group implements basic salary reduction for majority of employees for three months, will not cut jobs
Supports government measures to safeguard community health

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Emirates and dnata have been adapting operations in line with regulatory directives as well as travel demand.

The airline has aimed to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible to help travellers return home amidst an increasing number of travel bans, restrictions, and country lockdowns across the world. It continues to maintain vital international air cargo links for economies and communities, deploying its fleet of 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods including medical supplies across the world.

With many of its airline customers dramatically reducing flights or ceasing services altogether, dnata has also significantly reduced its operations, including temporarily shutting some offices across its international network.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group said: “The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint. Until January 2020, the Emirates Group was doing well against our current financial year targets. But COVID-19 has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past 6 weeks.

“As a global network airline, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns. By Wednesday March 25, although we will still operate cargo flights which remain busy, Emirates will have temporarily suspended most of its passenger operations. We continue to watch the situation closely, and as soon as things allow, we will reinstate our services.”

Having received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to the following countries and territories until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada. The situation remains dynamic, and travellers can check flight status on emirates.com.

Sheikh Ahmed added: “Emirates Group has a strong balance sheet, and substantial cash liquidity, and we can, and will, with appropriate and timely action, survive through a prolonged period of reduced flight schedules, so that we are adequately prepared for the return to normality.”

Cost reduction measures

The Emirates Group has undertaken a series of measures to contain costs, as the outlook for travel demand remains weak across markets in the short to medium term. This includes:

Postponing or cancelling discretionary expenditure
A freeze on all non-essential recruitment and consultancy work
Working with suppliers to find cost savings and efficiency
Encouraging employees to take paid or unpaid leave in light of reduced flying capacity
A temporary reduction of basic salary for the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, ranging from 25% to 50%. Employees will continue to be paid their other allowances during this time. Junior level employees will be exempt from basic salary reduction
Presidents of Emirates and dnata – Sir Tim Clark and Gary Chapman – will take a 100% basic salary cut for three months

On the decision to reduce basic salary, Sheikh Ahmed said: “Rather than ask employees to leave the business, we chose to implement a temporary basic salary cut as we want to protect our workforce and keep our talented and skilled people, as much as possible. We want to avoid cutting jobs. When demand picks up again, we also want to be able to quickly ramp up and resume services for our customers.”

The Emirates Group has strong liquidity, with a healthy cash position but it is prudent that it take steps to reduce costs at this time. Emirates remains committed to serving its markets and looks forward to resuming a normal flight schedule as soon as that is permitted by the relevant authorities.

Safeguarding customers, employees, and communities

Emirates Group closely monitors the situation and keeps in regular contact with all relevant authorities, so that it can implement the latest guidance to keep travellers and its employees safe and healthy.

The company has strongly discouraged its employees from non-essential travel, implemented work from home policies for all employees where operationally feasible, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols at its facilities, introduced temperature screening at its key office entry points, and launched internal educational campaigns on hand hygiene and health practices to reduce risk of COVID-19.

Over the past weeks, the airline has also implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures on all of its aircraft departing Dubai as a precaution, and worked closely with airports to implement screening measures as required by the local authorities.

Frontline employees such as crew and airport teams have also been provided with support to stay safe while on duty, including providing hand sanitizers and masks where required.

The Emirates Group fully supports all initiatives to safeguard the health of communities in every market where it operates, including the UAE’s national COVID-19 response.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “These are unprecedented times for the airline and travel industry, but we will get through it. Our business is taking a hit, but what matters in the long run is that we do the right thing for our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve. With the support and unity that we have seen from our employees, partners, customers, and other stakeholders, I’m confident that Emirates can tackle this challenge and come out stronger.”

Emirates aircraft photo gallery:

Singapore Airlines Group cuts 96% of its capacity and grounds 185 aircraft

Singapore Airlines has made this announcement:

Singapore Airlines will be cutting 96% of the capacity that had been originally scheduled up to end-April, given the further tightening of border controls around the world over the last week to stem the Covid-19 outbreak.

This will result in the grounding of around 138 SIA and SilkAir aircraft, out of a total fleet of 147, amid the greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence.

The Group’s low-cost unit Scoot will also suspend most of its network, resulting in the grounding of 47 of its fleet of 49 aircraft.

The SIA Group diversified its network and set up Scoot to spread its risks and cater to a wide range of passenger and market segments. However, without a domestic segment, the Group’s airlines become more vulnerable when international markets increasingly restrict the free movement of people or ban air travel altogether.

It is unclear when the SIA Group can begin to resume normal services, given the uncertainty as to when the stringent border controls will be lifted.

The resultant collapse in the demand for air travel has led to a significant decline in SIA’s passenger revenues.

The Company is actively taking steps to build up its liquidity, and to reduce capital expenditure and operating costs. As mentioned on March 17, 2020, SIA will continue to aggressively pursue all measures to address the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the Company. These include:

• ongoing discussions with aircraft manufacturers to defer upcoming aircraft deliveries. If agreed, this will consequently defer payment for those aircraft deliveries;

• salary cuts for the SIA Group’s management with the Company’s Directors also agreeing to a cut in their fees, and a voluntary no-pay leave scheme up to certain management positions. Given the worsening situation, the unions have been engaged on the additional cost-cutting measures that are needed and more steps will

be taken imminently; and

• over the last few days, the SIA Group has drawn on its lines of credits to meet its immediate cash flow requirements. The SIA Group is engaging in discussions with several financial institutions for its future funding requirements.

The Company continues to explore measures to shore up its liquidity during this unprecedented disruption to global air travel. The Company will release further details when such measures have been firmed up.

Singapore Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

SilkAir aircraft photo gallery:

Scoot aircraft photo gallery:

Air Greenland cancels all operations

Air Greenland cancelled all operations until at least April 4.

Greenland cancelled all air traffic to and from the island on Friday, March 20 for two weeks.

Only medical flights are permitted.

Air Greenland aircraft photo gallery:

Route Map:

Air Canada continues to bring Canadians back home

Air Canada has made this announcement:

Air Canada announced today that, in collaboration with the Canadian Government, it will operate two more special flights from Morocco. These flights follow a successful special flight completed March 21 in which Air Canada brought 444 Canadians home from Morocco.

These two additional flights are currently scheduled to operate on March 23 and 25 from Casablanca to Montreal with a 450-seat wide-body aircraft.

Global Affairs Canada is coordinating local arrangements for Canadians wishing to return home on these special flights. Canadians abroad are strongly encouraged to register with Global Affairs Canada. This will allow the Government of Canada to provide information to them as soon as it becomes available. For any emergency help you are encouraged to contact sos@international.gc.ca.

Air Canada brings thousands of people home

In the last week, Air Canada has transported more than 200,000 Canadians back home through its regularly scheduled operations across its international and U.S. network. Air Canada plans to operate more than 300 flights until the end of March from international destinations and more than 850 from the U.S., to enable hundreds of thousands more Canadians to return home.

Air Canada aircraft photo gallery:

Lufthansa Group publishes flight schedule for returnees

Lufthansa Group has made this announcement:

Lufthansa Group Airlines’ flight schedule geared to returnees
Return flight schedule initially valid until 19.4.
Lufthansa Group provides 920,000 face masks to health authorities

From the beginning of next week, a return flight schedule will be in effect for the airlines in the Lufthansa Group. This will initially be valid until April 19, 2020.

Harry Hohmeister, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG: “This situation has a historic dimension. Hardly anyone wants to or is currently allowed to travel. That is why our returnee flight schedule is now essentially geared to the needs of European citizens who want to return to their home countries. We are now flying as many people home as possible!”

The intercontinental return flight schedule in detail

Long-haul flights are offered as scheduled from Frankfurt and Zurich. Lufthansa’s intercontinental flight schedule from Frankfurt is as follows: three times a week to Newark, Chicago (both USA), Montreal (Canada), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Bangkok (Thailand), Tokyo (Japan) and Johannesburg (South Africa).

In addition to a substantially reduced short- and medium-haul timetable (48 services from Zurich), Swiss will in future offer three weekly long-haul flights to Newark (USA).

Lufthansa’s short- and medium-haul schedules

From its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa still offers around 40 daily connections to the most important cities in Germany and Europe.

Short and medium-haul flight schedule of Eurowings

Eurowings flight program focuses on the basic supply of the airports of Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Cologne.

Special flights for governments and tourism companies

In order to bring as many people as possible back home quickly, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group are currently operating numerous special flights all over the world in close consultation with the governments of their respective home countries and on behalf of tourism companies. With around 130 extra flights operated by Lufthansa, Eurowings, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Edelweiss, around 25,000 passengers have so far flown home. Around 100 further flights are already being prepared.

Renunciation of the use of face masks

The Lufthansa Group is waiving the purchase of more than 920,000 permanently ordered face masks and making them available to the health authorities. In this way, the company assumes social responsibility and supports medical facilities that urgently need these masks. The Group has a sufficient quantity of masks in stock for Lufthansa Group employees.

In addition, Lufthansa Group employees who have completed medical training can now be released quickly and unbureaucratically on a voluntary basis for specific work in a medical facility.

United reinstates some international flights to help stranded passengers

United Airlines has made this announcement:

While travel demand continues to drop and United continues to adjust its schedules accordingly, the airline knows some people around the globe are displaced and still need to get home. While United’s international schedule will still be reduced by about 90% in April, the airline will continue flying six daily operations to and from the following destinations – covering Asia, Australia, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe – in an effort to get customers where they need to be. This remains a fluid situation, but United continues to play a role in connecting people and uniting the world, especially in these challenging times.

Flights continuing from now through May schedule

Newark – Frankfurt (Flights 960/961)
Newark – London (Flights 16/17)
Newark – Tel Aviv (Flights 90/91)
Houston (IAH) – Sao Paulo (Flights 62/63)
San Francisco – Tokyo-Narita (Flights 837/838)
San Francisco – Sydney (Flights 863/870)

In addition to the above, United has reinstated the following flights to help displaced customers who still need to get home.

Flights through 3/27 outbound

Newark – Amsterdam (Flights 70/71)
Newark – Munich (Flights 30/31)
Newark – Brussels (Flights 999/998)
Washington-Dulles – London (Flights 918/919)
San Francisco – Frankfurt (Flights 58/59)
Newark – Sao Paulo (Flights 149/148)

Flights through 3/29 outbound

San Francisco – Seoul (Flights 893/892)

In destinations where government actions have barred us from flying, we are actively looking for ways to bring customers who have been impacted by travel restrictions back to the United States. This includes working with the U.S. State Department and the local governments to gain permission to operate service.

United Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Fiji Airways suspends 95% of its international flights

Fiji Airways has made this announcement:

Fiji Airways, Fiji’s National Airline, has announced that it will suspend all international flights until the end of May, with the exception of twice-weekly services between Singapore and Nadi.

The move follows the unprecedented nature and scale of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is causing travel demands to plummet due to health concerns and state restrictions.

The almost complete shutdown of all international flights is necessary to respect the various border control restrictions now in place, including from its Nadi hub.

Fiji Airways will operate a daily Nadi-Sydney service until Sunday, March 22, and suspend the service after that. Nadi-Los Angeles return services will operate daily until Sunday, March 22, and will be suspended after the last Los Angeles-Nadi flight returns to Fiji on March 24.

Fiji Airways will operate the last return Auckland-Nadi service on Sunday, March 22. The final South Pacific return services between Nadi or Suva and Nuku’alofa, Honiara and Funafuti will operate on Saturday, March 21. The final Nadi – Honolulu flight will operate on Sunday, March 22 with the return on Monday.

Return services between Nadi and Brisbane, Melbourne, Christchurch, Wellington, Hong Kong, Tokyo (Narita), Apia, Tarawa, Christmas Island (Kiritimati), Vava’u, San Francisco are suspended immediately.

Return services between Suva and Sydney, Auckland and Port Vila, along with services between Apia-Honolulu and Christmas Island (Kiritimati)-Honolulu are also suspended with immediate effect.

The suspensions are in place until the end of May, and may be extended further if travel restrictions remain in place. Working with foreign embassies and Governments, Fiji Airways will mount one-off recovery flights on an ad-hoc basis during the suspension period as necessary to allow citizens/residents to return home or to their point of origin. Recovery services to/from Tokyo (Narita) and Hong Kong are planned for March 27 and March 29 respectively.

The affected flights are being cancelled now. Fiji Link’s domestic services will continue as scheduled for now, and may be reduced depending on demand.

Apart from the above Narita and Hong Kong recovery services, the airline will be running some supplementary recovery flights to Auckland, Sydney and Los Angeles for any remaining passengers wanting to get back to their countries, as well as bring back home any Fijian nationals still in those cities.

These supplementary flight schedules are:

From/To	Flight number	Departure Date	Departure Time
Nadi-Sydney	FJ1917	Saturday 21^st March	10am
	FJ1917	Sunday 22^nd March	10am
Sydney-Nadi	FJ1916	Saturday 21^st March	2:50pm
	FJ1916	Sunday 22^nd March	2:50pm
Nadi-Auckland	FJ1415	Sunday 22^nd March	9:30am
Auckland-Nadi	FJ1414	Sunday 22^nd March	2:40pm
Nadi-Los Angeles	FJ1813	Monday 23^rd March	7:00am
Los Angeles-Nadi	FJ1812	Monday 23^rd March	2:25pm