US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin Sunday said he was in close touch with Congress about helping US airlines weather a massive downturn in business due to sweeping travel restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus. Mnuchin said he was talking with house of representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi about measures this week to help airlines and other heavily affected industries. "We need to focus on the airline industry. This is an unprecedented situation," he told ABC. "The speaker and I are already in conversations about airlines, which (are) critical to us, hotels, cruise ships, more SBA lending, more liquidity, some type of stimulus," he added. Top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci Sunday said he did not expect the US to restrict domestic travel in the near future. <br/>
general
US travel restrictions will be expanded to individuals coming from the UK and Ireland as the coronavirus continues to disrupt the industry in ways that seemed unimaginable just days ago. President Donald Trump advised March 14 that ”it’s going to happen“ and the measure was subsequently confirmed by VP Mike Pence. The expansion comes 3 days after the US govt said it would be stopping foreign visitors from much of continental Europe from entering the country for 30 days beginning March 13. The expanded restrictions for the UK and Ireland are expected to apply to this group as well. US citizens and permanent residents are permitted to return to the country under the ban, but must enter the US via one of 13 “gateway airports” where they will be medically screened. <br/>
Thousands of travellers returning to the US from abroad this weekend have confronted significant waits as screening aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus created major bottlenecks. Chaos and confusion ensued at airports across the country, including New York, Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth, as anxious passengers waited sometimes for hours in long and cramped customs lines. Passengers said they mingled with others who appeared sick and received brief, inconsistent medical checks. Airports are bracing for the next wave of international flights to land, hoping that efforts Sunday to boost staffing and slow down the flow of passengers will help avoid more snarls. <br/>
Industry consolidation and years of profits have left US airlines more prepared than ever to weather the falloff in demand created by the coronavirus outbreak, say industry analysts. “All this is hitting badly, but we have never had an airline industry that has been this financially sound,” says Mike Boyd, president of aviation consultancy Boyd Group International. “Cash is available to every airline. They can weather this.” Others agree. “North American carriers should be in a stronger position than airlines in other regions to withstand implications from coronavirus,” says a March 12 report from Fitch Ratings “North American airlines have gone through significant consolidation, restructured through multiple bankruptcies and experienced a change in operational focus toward profitability.” <br/>
The European Parliament’s transport committee has pledged to treat with the “highest priority” moves to suspend slot rules to ensure airlines do not need to fly aircraft empty during the coronavirus crisis just to retain landing rights. Airlines were calling for the relaxation of the ”use it or lose it” slot rules even before faltering air travel demand was further hit by several countries, notably the US, implementing travel bans as part of measures to counter coronavirus. The EC March 10 outlined its intention to ”rapidly legislate” for a suspension in the rules, a move welcomed by the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee chair, Karima Delli. <br/> The Parliament says it is now looking into the Commission’s proposal and will announce the precise details of the next procedural steps. <br/>
European regulators are preparing to advise airlines to space passengers throughout the cabin on flights which are not full, having formally directed carriers to ensure aircraft are fully disinfected after each flight from high-risk coronavirus areas. Operators should also equip aircraft with at least 1 universal precaution kit – used to deal with communicable diseases – in order to protect crew members assisting individuals suspected of carrying the infection. EASA has made the recommendations in safety directives aimed at civil aviation authorities as well as third-country operators authorised to fly to EU destinations. “We are aware that many airlines have already enhanced their cleaning procedures, and member states have put additional measures into place,” says EASA executive director Patrick Ky. <br/>
Norway is to temporarily close its airports from March 16 as part of wide-ranging restrictions aimed tackling the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. ”We have decided to close our airports, close our ports and we will have extensive border control along our border,” Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg announced Saturday. ”We do this because we do not want anyone who does not have a critical reason to be in Norway to come to the country. Norwegian airports operator Avinor had already Friday taken the decision to close 9 small airports to commercial traffic from March 16. Solberg notes it will work to enable Norwegians who are travelling abroad to come home. <br/>