SAS will temporarily halt most of its flights from Monday until conditions for commercial aviation improve, it said, as demand for flights has "more or less disappeared". SAS said Sunday it would temporary lay off up to 10,000 employees, or 90% of the airline's total workforce. "Demand for flights into, out of, and within Scandinavia has more or less disappeared," CE Rickard Gustafson said. "We have to adapt to current circumstances and starting Monday we will temporary pause a large part of our operations and we will heavily reduce the number of flights in our entire network," he added. Gustafson said the company had worked in the past few years to improve the financial stability of the company. “We have built good financial preparedness and good liquidity so we will manage for a good while," he said. <br/>
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United Airlines has nixed some flights to London and Dublin following the US govt’s expansion of its travel ban to include passengers arriving from the UK and Ireland. From March 20 until at least the end of April, United intends to operate just 3 daily flights to London and 1 daily flight to Dublin. The 3 daily London flights will depart from Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles, the airline says. Prior to the latest schedule adjustment, United had planned to fly 18 daily flights to and from London, and 3 daily flights to Dublin. But the US govt announced its European travel ban had been expanded to encompass Ireland and the UK. That is in addition to a ban, which took effect March 14, on passengers from 26 other European countries. <br/>
LOT is suspending all international flights from both Poland and Hungary after the Polish govt imposed border restrictions on foreign travellers. Wizz Air is also being hit hard by the measure, suspending Polish services accounting for some 20% of its capacity. The govt says it is “closing the borders” of the country for 10 days to foreigners from March 15. Only Polish citizens will be allowed to enter, and they will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. LOT says it is complying with the govt’s directive. Wizz Air says the restriction “forces” it to halt Polish flights “until further notice”. The airline, whose financial year ends March 31, says the various govt measures in Europe mean the duration and impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the carrier is “difficult to predict”. <br/>
Air NZ is reviewing the impact of new measures from the country’s govt intended to combat the spread of coronavirus. Under the directive every person entering New Zealand, excluding Pacific territories, will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, a restriction which will be reviewed in 16 days’ time. But prime minister Jacinda Ardern says the govt will “work closely” with the aviation industry to “encourage airlines to remain active” in New Zealand. “We did not take these decisions lightly,” she says. “We know these travel restrictions will place significant strain on the aviation industry, and we anticipate some routes will reduce or cease for a period of time.” Air NZ states that it is undertaking a “full review” of its schedules as a result of the govt’s decision. <br/>