Update 18 March: Canadian carrier Air Transat has announced it will gradually suspend all flights to and from Europe until 30 April, except for repatriation flights for citizens attempting to return home. It is also implementing cost-cutting measures such as temporary redundancies, reduced working hours and reduced pay.
Update 19 March: Qantas and its subsidiary Jetstar will suspend all international flights from late March until at least the end of May because "demand has evaporated", according to CEO Alan Joyce.
Most of Air Astana and FlyArystan's scheduled flights are now being suspended until 15 April following the lock-down of Almaty and Nur-Sultan. International flights will only be operated for the purposes of repatriating citizens of Kazakhstan and allowing foreign citizens to leave the country.
Leisure carrier Jet2 is also gradually suspending all services.
Brussels Airlines and Air Malta are the latest airlines to
temporarily suspend all operations amid global travel restrictions to stop the
spread of the coronavirus.
Brussels Airlines has joined its fellow Lufthansa Group
carrier Austrian Airlines in announcing a temporary suspension of operations.
It will cease all flights between 21 March and 19 April, with the flight schedule
due to be gradually decreased throughout the remainder of this week. It will
keep a minimal capacity on standby for the purpose of repatriation flights
should the need arise.
CEO Dieter Vranckx said: “We will continuously monitor the
situation and communicate accordingly, planning a restart of our operations on
20 April to welcome our guests on board again. As a responsible company, we
need to take the decision to temporarily cease our operations. It will allow us
to reduce the negative financial impact on our company.”
As a result of the move, Brussels Airlines is working on expanding
an existing temporary technical unemployment scheme to cover all of its
employees during the suspension.
Meanwhile, following a decision by the Maltese Health
Authorities, Malta is banning all commercial travel for flights departing after
2359UTC on 20 March until further notice.
This has forced Air Malta to cease all commercial flights,
though it will still operate repatriation services as directed by the Maltese
government.