Qatar Airways said it’s continuing to operate a third of its normal schedule while bulking up on cargo flights as the carrier seeks to ride out the coronavirus outbreak. The airline is still operating about 150 flights a day, serving European cities such as Frankfurt and Munich and more far-flung destinations in the US, Australia and parts of Asia, Thierry Antinori, its head of strategy, said Wednesday. Qatar’s bid to maintain a reduced timetable contrasts with more drastic steps across the Middle East and Europe, where carriers have commonly grounded 90% of flights. In the neighbouring UAE, Etihad and Emirates ceased passenger operations entirely as of today amid a govt ban. Antinori said Qatar’s more diverse fleet of small and large aircraft has provided flexibility in responding to demand swings. <br/>
oneworld
Malaysia is exploring the possibility of bailing out domestic airlines that have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Officials have been studying ideas including setting up a vehicle to take over the debt of companies like Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia Group, the people said. The govt is also considering encouraging mergers between some of the carriers, said the people. They have been discussing whether to provide financial support to other parts of the economy affected by the pandemic such as the tourism, real estate and oil and gas industries, the people said. Malaysia Airlines has separately been in talks with lenders about modifying its borrowings, the people said. <br/>
Ryanair and IAG are among the best-placed carriers to see out the Covid-19 crisis, analysts say. Airlines globally could lose E230b in revenues this year as passenger flights are grounded amid efforts to halt the spread of coronavirus in Europe and the US, according to some estimates. Stephen Furlong and Ross Harvey, analysts with Irish stockbrokers Davy, say in a note published Wednesday that Ryanair and IAG, “look to be the most secure” among Europe’s airlines. Furlong and Harvey point out that if no aircraft fly for the next year, Ryanair has 18 months of available cash while IAG has 16 months. “We believe that these airlines are well positioned to withstand an impact to European traffic, similar to that of China, which has begun to see bookings stabilise in the third month after the outbreak,” the analysts say. <br/>