Nigeria has lifted its suspension of Emirates airlines flights imposed after the carrier sought additional COVID-19 tests for passengers from Nigeria, a spokesman for the country’s aviation regulator said Friday. “The suspension has just been lifted, because they have complied with what we want,” said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) spokesman. An Emirates spokesperson said the company “can confirm that we will continue to operate services to Abuja and Lagos.” An aviation ministry spokesman on Monday told a news conference that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in addition to requiring a PCR test before flying from Nigeria, was adding an extra requirement of having a rapid test four hours before departure. He said airlines that insisted on the additional test would be suspended until an appropriate structure was put in place to conduct the second test within four hours of departure.<br/>
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SkyWest Airlines says it lost $46m in Q4 2020, as reduced flight schedules and lower demand from its mainline airline partners continued to challenge the regional carrier. The St. George, Utah-based airline posted a 2020 full-year loss of $9m, compared to a 2019 profit of $340m. Operating revenue was $590m, down 21% from $744m in the same period in 2019, the airline tells analysts on its quarterly earnings call on 4 February. For the full year, the regional carrier reports $2.1b in revenue, down from $3b the year before. And airline executives expect more of the same as 2021 gets underway. “It will be a choppy recovery period,” says the company’s CE Chip Childs. “Our ongoing agility will remain a critical component.” Yet he adds that he believes the airline is in a “strong position to play a key role” in the air transport industry’s recovery. The airline is somewhat insulated from the market downturn due to fixed contracts it has with its partners, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. SkyWest says that much of its fleet is currently flying at or near contract minimums. <br/>