About 400,000 airline workers have been fired, furloughed or told they may lose their jobs due to the coronavirus, according to Bloomberg calculations. The aviation industry has suffered more than most as the pandemic destroys ticket sales and strips companies of cash. Airlines the world over have drastically cut back on flights due to border restrictions and a lack of appetite for travel, particularly internationally, because people are worried about contracting the virus and spending lengthy periods in quarantine. BA, Lufthansa, Emirates and Qantas are among the carriers announcing thousands of dismissals and unpaid leave programs. Many more are expected in the US after a ban on job cuts -- a condition of a $50b government bailout -- is lifted at the end of September. Delta, United and American Airlines have already warned about 35,000 employees that their jobs are at risk. The trio’s combined personnel losses could top 100,000 by year-end. Even the pilots and cabin crew who manage to keep their jobs are, in general, facing salary cuts.<br/>
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Baghdad International Airport reopened for scheduled commercial flights on Thursday after months of closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit Iraq especially hard in recent weeks. Iraq suspended all flights to and from Baghdad in March, with only irregular or chartered flights operating and advance permission required for travel. The measures, which accompanied the closure of land borders and a general curfew that has been mostly in force since March, were taken to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus.<br/>Iraq has recorded nearly 100,000 cases of infection and more than 4,000 deaths from COVID-19. Health ministry figures now regularly show more than 2,000 new cases each day. Some passengers travelling from Baghdad airport are required to take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test several days before their flights, depending on destination, a spokesman for the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said. Incoming passengers are all required to take a test 48 hours before boarding Baghdad-bound flights, he said.<br/>
The Philippines is suspending its decision to allow non-essential overseas travel, after only one company agreed to provide health insurance to outbound passengers. Only passengers with bookings until July 20 will be allowed to leave for non-essential trips abroad, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a televised briefing. The Philippines has 72,269 virus cases, including 1,843 deaths, as of Wednesday.<br/>
Two of Boeing's biggest commercial airline customers said on Thursday they are still committed to the 737 MAX despite delays in its return to flight and the coronavirus pandemic, though the head of Southwest Airlines said contracts need to be "completely reset." Boeing is behind on hundreds of 737 MAX deliveries since regulators grounded the jet worldwide last year in the aftermath of two crashes that together killed 346 people. Since then, airlines' financing on jet orders has expired, forcing a scramble by Boeing to arrange new financing as it awaits regulatory approval for design changes. American Airlines CFO Derek Kerr said the carrier is in "good discussions" with Boeing to finalize financing terms on 17 737 MAX jets that were to be delivered this year, adding that the airline still wants its full order for 100 MAX planes, over time. "We totally plan on taking those aircraft," Kerr said on a quarterly conference call. "Just when we take them is the discussion that we're having."<br/>