SkyTeam is calling for standardised COVID-19 testing before departure to restore international air travel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. SkyTeam and its 19 members are supporting the enhancement and implementation of testing protocols, both before departure and on arrival where necessary. The alliance wants to “enable the safe reopening of borders and offer an effective alternative to quarantines,” after COVID-19 travel restrictions have brought the airline industry to its knees. The move comes after the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) called for reliable COVID-19 rapid testing before departure in order to re-establish global air connectivity. SkyTeam said they believe scalable and reliable rapid COVID-19 testing, implemented in cooperation with local airport authorities and governmental bodies, will enable borders to reopen safely “while offering customers greater peace of mind.”<br/>
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Air France suffered a 70% fall in revenue in August as its international network operated at around 30% of full capacity, its chief executive told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The carrier is still burning through E10m in cash a day but is working to limit losses, CEO Anne Rigail said in an interview published on Wednesday. The airline group has formed a new transatlantic joint venture with Delta and Virgin Atlantic, replacing a previous partnership that had included Italy's Alitalia. Rigail invited Alitalia, which is due to be nationalised, to join the new group, even if as a second level member. “Alitalia is a long-standing partner and we will propose to them to join the joint venture as an associate member. I want to maintain a strong relationship with them,” she said. Rigail ruled out an investment in Alitalia but expressed interest in its offer of rapid tests for COVID-19 for passengers flying on certain routes.<br/>
China Eastern has adjusted its bellyhold freight business deal with sister carrier China Cargo Airlines, in light of changing market conditions following the coronavirus outbreak. The carrier states that the adjustments come amid falling demand for passenger transport, as well as its recent foray into the “unconventional method” of using passenger aircraft to carry cargo. "As a means of temporarily enhancing air cargo transport capacity under extraordinary circumstances, [China Eastern] is required to further clarify the business scope and pricing methods under unconventional circumstances such as ‘passenger-to-cargo conversion’,” China Eastern states. “The company and China Cargo Airlines have negotiated and agreed to adjust and optimise the [business deal’s] scope, pricing methods and settlement methods without altering, amongst others, the business entities, rights and obligations, and business procedures of both parties,” adds the carrier. <br/>