Hundreds of flights in and out of Beijing were cancelled Wednesday as authorities stepped up measures to rein in a sudden outbreak of coronavirus in the Chinese capital, placing it under a so-called "soft lockdown". On Wednesday, Beijing reported 31 new Covid-19 cases for the previous day, bringing the total number of infections over the past six days to 137. While the Beijing government did not announce the suspension of transportation in and out of the city, hundreds of flights were cancelled at Beijing's two major airports on Wednesday, according to aviation data providers. According to aviation data tracker Variflight, as of 3 p.m. local time Wednesday (3 a.m. ET), at least 630 flights had been or were likely to be cancelled at the Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport -- around half of all scheduled flights. Air traffic at from both airports had been on the rise since May until the drastic plunge this week, Variflight data showed. Flight Master, another China-based aviation data provider, said 1,255 flights had been scrapped at both airports on Wednesday, accounting for 67% of outgoing flights and 68% of incoming flights. Air China, the country's flag carrier, announced on social media that 297 flights arriving or departing from the Beijing Capital International Airport were cancelled. "Affected by the outbreak in Beijing, there are mass delays and cancellations of arriving and departing flights," its statement said. Several domestic airlines, including Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Hainan Airlines, have promised full refunds to passengers who bought tickets to leave Beijing from this week to the end of June.<br/>
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Airlines in Asia are less likely to shed jobs on the same scale as their counterparts in Europe and North America after receiving government support, according to the head of an industry association representing the region’s best-known carriers. The prediction comes as Asian carriers opt for furloughs and pay reductions rather than job cuts for now, despite being hit first by the Covid-19 pandemic, while airlines in Europe and North America warn that workforces will shrink by as much as half. “We have seen fewer job losses already,” said Subhas Menon, the director general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA). “Especially in the West, airlines have laid off many people compared with Asia, which is not that many. In many cases airlines in Asia have chosen to adopt no pay leave or furloughs until they can get back on their feet.” Fresh from unveiling a Hong Kong government-led bailout worth HK$39b this week, Cathay Pacific announced a second round of unpaid leave for 33,000 staff, taking this year’s total to six weeks. The airline said on Friday it would seek the government’s help in paying 27,000 staff by joining its wage subsidy scheme, which prevents it from making any redundancies.<br/>
Senators from both parties accused the top US aviation regulator of stonewalling Wednesday on inquiries into the 737 MAX crashes as they introduced legislation to revamp the plane certification process. Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, said FAA staff had ignored numerous requests for information about the MAX, which has been grounded since March 2019 following two crashes that killed 346 people. Wicker pointed to cases where his staff, at FAA's request, had narrowed requests to emails on specific dates involving specific parties and the agency had still not been forthcoming. "It's hard not to conclude that your team at FAA has deliberately attempted to keep us in the dark," Wicker told FAA chief Steve Dickson. "Agency stonewalling suggests discomfort for what might ultimately be revealed." Although much has been learned about the MAX following myriad investigations, there are still questions about provocative documents that have surfaced over the months. These include an internal FAA risk analysis after the first Boeing crash that said the MAX could suffer as many as 15 catastrophic accidents over its lifetime. Dickson was unable to offer new information on that document or other disclosures, but said he was "committed" to oversight.<br/>
A US senator said on Wednesday he was hoping for bipartisan support in Congress for mandatory rules on masks for air travel after the head of the FAA again resisted calls for a mandate. While most US airlines are now requiring that passengers wear masks, the DoT has not issued any rules. FAA Chief Steve Dickson said the DOT and the FAA expect the travelling public to follow individual airlines' directions and policies on face coverings. Several lawmakers asked Dickson why it was not made a rule. "I don’t understand why we are going with a private sector-driven approach here, or a voluntary approach," Senator Brian Schatz said at the hearing, adding that he would seek legislation. Dickson said the CDC has responsibility for public health, while the FAA has oversight of aviation safety, but noted work with carriers and other U.S. agencies to ensure "consistent guidelines." FAA officials have said that the agency does not believe it has legal authority to require masks.<br/>
The ban on commercial international flights might not be lifted on July 1 as originally planned and, if and when the ban is scrapped, business people will likely be the first to be allowed to travel, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop made the statement after meeting representatives from 10 commercial airlines operating both domestic and international flights, five private jet firms and four airport operators Tuesday. Chula said it is not certain if the July 1 planned re-opening of airports to international fights will proceed. The ban went into effect on April 27 at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown. He reasoned that before the ban is revoked, the Public Health Ministry must evaluate health safety and give the green light. Also, the "travel bubble" scheme will need to be negotiated where travel will resume progressively between Thailand and countries deemed safe from Covid-19 transmission. Chula, meanwhile, said that when the international flights resume, they will conform to safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Authority. However, airlines will no longer have to leave empty seats on flights to keep passengers apart. The empty-seat measure has been opposed by airlines as it eats into the load factor and profits.<br/>
Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt airport, plans to eliminate as many as 4,000 jobs as it braces for years of fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The company, which employed 22,514 at the end of last year, is downsizing in areas including ground handling and administration, CEO Stefan Schulte said. Negotiations with unions will begin soon, he added. “As tough as it is, we will be able to employ between 3,000 to 4,000 fewer people,” the CEO said at an event at the airport. “This is about our perspectives into 2023 and 2024.” The company last month said the number of passengers at its main hub in Frankfurt could decline by up to 60% this year and still remain as much as 20% below 2019 levels in 2022 or even 2023.<br/>
Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) has adopted contactless body temperature checking systems using robots at Incheon International Airport, as part of efforts to expand the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and contain the spread of COVID-19. The airport operator deployed contactless body temperature checking robots and interactive kiosks for a trial at departure halls for Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, Monday. Four robots ― three at Terminal 1 and one at Terminal 2 ― have a thermal imaging camera to measure body temperature when a person approaches. If the devices detect a high temperature they display a message recommending the passenger contact their airline. The robots also dispense hand sanitizer. IIAC installed two kiosks ― one each at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 ― aimed at checking the body temperature of travellers. The devices issue a warning sound when they detect a high temperature. The airport operator said it would continue to deploy a variety of smart devices using new technologies, noting that it planned for autonomous mobile robots capable of checking that passengers are wearing face masks to be introduced by the end of the year.<br/>
A design that reconfigures airplane cabins with double-decker lie-flat seats in premium economy is being touted as a possible solution for fliers looking for more protection from the spread of Covid-19. Zephyr Seat is the vision of designer Jeffrey O'Neill, who reckons the isolation from fellow passengers that his creation will offer could be a game changer in the wake of the pandemic. "We believe that new types of travelers will require privacy or will want to pay extra for that as much as they would pay for the ability to sleep," said O'Neill, the founder and CEO of start-up Zephyr Aerospace. With Zephyr Seat, airlines could provide double-decker seating in a 2-4-2 configuration which, O'Neill says, would allow the majority of global airlines to maintain the same seating density as offered by their existing premium economy cabins. O'Neill was inspired by a sleepless flight between New York to Singapore a few years ago, on board what was then the world's longest commercial flight. Seated in premium economy,O'Neill realised halfway through the super long-haul journey that he wasn't going to get any shut eye. "I'm on probably the best rated airline in the world, and I'm getting wonderful service and the food is edible, but I can't sleep," he recalls. "This is really uncomfortable. Why is it so difficult to find an affordable way to lie flat on a flight that's 19 hours?" O'Neill found himself remembering a long-distance bus journey he'd made on a trip through Argentina. The bus used bunk beds, and he'd slept far better than on his ostensibly more luxurious air journey to Singapore. It occurred to him that maybe that was the solution.<br/>