Southwest said Thursday it intends to apply for US government aid to help it ride out the sharp drop in travel demand caused by the massive lockdowns because of the coronavirus pandemic. "We still don't know the severity of this situation. We still don't know how long it will last," Southwest CE Gary Kelly said. Half of $50b in available aid for US airlines is in the form of grants that would cover employee payroll through Sept. 30. The deadline to send applications to the US Treasury department for the grants is Friday at 5:00pm ET. "We have a team focused on that as we speak," Kelly said. The other major U.S. carriers have also said they intend to apply for the grants, though the industry has pushed back on a condition that allows the US Treasury to demand warrants or equity in exchange for the cash. Airlines have also continued to shore up liquidity on their own, with Southwest saying on Thursday it had drawn down $2.33b in credit and had $3.33b outstanding as of April 1, under the credit agreement.<br/>
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Emirates airlines has received approval to carry passengers on certain flights. Effective Monday April 6, initial flights will commence from Dubai to London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels and Zurich, with 4 flights a week to London Heathrow, and 3 flights a week to the other cities. Operating from Dubai International airport Terminal 2 until further notice, these flights will only carry outbound passengers from the UAE. Emirates will also carry belly-hold cargo in both directions, supporting trade and communities with the transport of essential goods. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CE, said: "These initial passenger services, although limited to travellers who meet the entry requirements set by the destination countries, will be welcomed by our customers seeking to return home to their countries and families. We would like to thank the UAE government and all our partners for their support in ensuring the smooth operation of our flights."<br/>
Emirates airline on Thursday announced that Skywards Miles due to expire soon will be automatically extended until the end of 2020. Emirates also announced that Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members with a tier review date prior to March 1, 2021 will retain their current status with only 80% of the usual travel requirements. This means Silver members now need to accumulate only 20,000 tier Miles, Gold members 40,000 and Platinum 120,000 to retain their status. Nejib Ben Khedher, divisional senior VP for Emirates Skywards said: "Emirates Skywards is closely monitoring the situation unfolding worldwide – and we're with our members every step of the way. We understand our members may be anxious about retaining their status or about the validity of their Miles, and we have relaxed our policies to reassure them during this global crisis – they now have one less thing to worry about. The changes and details of these relaxed policies may not immediately reflect in our members' 'My Account' section of emirates.com, and we ask for their understanding and patience during these unprecedented times for all airlines."<br/>
Eastar Jet plans to lay off 750 employees due to financial difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to industry sources Thursday, the company plans to lay off 45 percent of its 1,680 workers ― to 930 ― to keep the business afloat amid the crisis. The company is also in talks to reduce its fleet by 10 planes to 13. "The plan has not been finalized," a company official said. "We are still in talks over the size of layoffs and severance pay." Last month, Eastar Jet decided to suspend all domestic and international flights to minimize operating losses.<br/>
Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of easyJet, has called for a board meeting to remove independent non-executive director Andreas Bierwirth. The British budget airline said it had received the request and was considering its response. "Shareholders are advised to take no action at this time," it said. EasyJet has been under pressure from its founder who asked in a letter on Sunday for it to cancel or renegotiate a GBP4.5b order for 107 Airbus planes because the extra aircraft would destroy shareholder value. Haji-Ioannou, who along with his family owns about a third of easyJet's shares, has been a long-time critic of the airline's plans, saying it was putting expansion before profit growth.<br/>