general

The global aviation industry warned on Tuesday of a severe cargo capacity shortfall as airlines around the world slash jobs and suffer plunges in profits due to the coronavirus crisis. The IATA said the March air cargo data showed a sharp capacity shortage, with volumes down 15% but capacity down by more than a fifth. IATA said global demand, measured in cargo tonne kilometres, fell by 15.2% in March compared to 12 months previously, while global capacity, in available CTKs, shrank by 22.7%. "At present, we don't have enough capacity to meet the remaining demand for air cargo," IATA CE Alexandre de Juniac said. "The gap must be addressed quickly because vital supplies must get to where they are needed most." He said there had been a doubling of demand for pharmaceutical shipments during the pandemics, but most of the passenger fleet was sitting idle. Juniac urged governments to cut red tape to ensure the safe and efficient operation of special flights. IATA meanwhile announced that its 76th annual general meeting had been rescheduled to November 23-24 in Amsterdam. "In the post-pandemic world, a viable air transport industry will be critical, ... but we will be a changed industry," said Juniac. "We will gather the world's airlines to look ahead together as we address the biggest challenges we have ever faced."<br/>

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is considering ordering coronavirus tests for people arriving in the United States on international flights, and highlighted Brazil. "We're probably going to be doing that. Brazil has pretty much had an outbreak, as you know," he said at a White House meeting with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. "We'll make that decision pretty soon." When asked whether he would require tests for the coronavirus or simple temperature checks, Trump replied "both." The Republican president said he was discussing the issue with governors, particularly DeSantis, whose state is a major destination for Latin American flights. "We're talking with others also that have a lot of business coming in from South America, Latin America, and we'll make a determination," he said. Trump said the new precautionary measures would involve testing for coronavirus "on the plane, getting on the plane," and that the government was in discussion with the airlines.<br/>

Delta, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines on Tuesday asked the US DoT for approval to suspend flights to more than two dozen US airports. US travel demand has fallen by more than 95% because of the coronavirus pandemic and airports are trying to cut costs to stay in business. JetBlue wants to halt flights to 16 US airports, including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Dallas and Detroit through Sept. 30. Delta wants to suspend flights to nine airports: Lansing, Flint and Kalamazoo in Michigan, and Worcester, Massachusetts, Hilton Head, South Carolina, Pocatello, Idaho, Brunswick, Georgia, and Melbourne, Florida. Delta argues passengers could still use other nearby airports like Grand Rapids or Detroit in Michigan. Delta says between April 1-April 22, just 1 to 14 passengers daily flew on the airline's planes each way from those 9 airports. Spirit Airlines Inc asked the department for approval to suspend flights to Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, Portland and Phoenix, arguing requiring the flights "during a period of almost zero demand is against the public interest as it wastes scarce financial resources while adding virtually nothing." The airlines must maintain minimum service levels in exchange for getting cash grants from the US Treasury to assist in payroll costs unless the department issues a waiver.<br/>

Argentina's two low-cost airlines Tuesday accused its Peronist government of lying about whether the implementation of an air travel ban to combat the coronavirus had been discussed with the industry beforehand. Earlier this week, Argentina prohibited all commercial flights and ticket sales until Sept. 1, making for one of the toughest travel bans currently in place around the world. The carriers, which compete with the country's largest airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, which is state-owned and funded by taxpayers, said they were blindsided and accused the government of ignoring the concerns of the private air travel industry. "We had no idea that a discussion about (the travel ban) existed, least of all that a decision had been made," said Estuardo Ortíz, the CEO of JetSMART, which recently started domestic flights in Argentina.<br/>

Boeing's grounded 737 MAX jet is expected to remain grounded until at least August as the manufacturer continues to grapple with software issues, sources said. The largest planemaker has signalled it now hopes to win regulatory approval in August for the plane's return to service, but that could be pushed backed until fall, the sources said, as timing for meeting milestones is uncertain. The best-selling airplane has been grounded since March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people. Boeing halted production in January and has 400 undelivered MAX planes in storage. Southwest, the largest operator of 737 MAX airplanes worldwide, said Tuesday it was removing the MAX from its schedule through Oct. 30 based on Boeing's "recent communication on the MAX return to service date." Boeing declined to comment ahead of its earnings release Wednesday. <br/>

Cleaning robots, temperature checks and antimicrobial coatings could soon become synonymous with airport trips. Hong Kong International Airport has provided a glimpse into what international airport procedures might look like once we're traveling again, and a lot of disinfection technologies are involved. The busy Asia airport claims it's the first in the world to trial a live operation of CLeanTech, a full-body disinfection booth. The short, but thorough, process sees those passing through undertake a temperature check before entering a small booth for the 40-second disinfection and sanitizing procedures. According to the airport authority, the inside of the facility contains an antimicrobial coating that can remotely kill any viruses and/or bacteria found on clothing, as well as the body, by using photocatalyst advances along with "nano needles." The individual is also sprinkled with sanitizing spray for "instant disinfection" inside the booth, which is kept under negative pressure, an isolation technique used in hospitals and medical centers, to prevent cross-contamination.<br/>

Superior Air Charter filed for bankruptcy protection, unable to keep its private charter service aloft while the coronavirus curtails travel. The aviation company listed liabilities of $50m to $100m and assets of no more than $10m, according to a Chapter 11 petition filed with the US bankruptcy court in Delaware.Superior is affiliated with JetSuite, the private jet charter company, which had to ground its fleet of planes April 15 and furloughed most of its crewmembers, according to its website. JetSuite cited the Covid-19 outbreak. The filing gives Superior Air’s management a break on its debts while it works out a recovery plan. <br/>