While the Covid-19 virus has a global reach, some areas have been more heavily affected than others. Before the extensive spread of the disease to the U.S., Milan, Italy, was a major epicenter. Reports say that while the Lombardy region passed its peak for the pandemic around the beginning of April, the disease stubbornly persisted, slowing the return to some semblance of normalcy.
The Coronavirus impact on the aviation Industry
May 11, 2020 - 6:37 AM
Colombian flag carrier Avianca on Sunday filed for bankruptcy protection in New York District Court, some two months after the country closed its airspace in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. The second-largest airline in Latin America, Avianca had begun to see CEO Anko van der Werff’s restructuring efforts yield some semblance of stability until the coronavirus crisis prompted the government to shut down Colombia to air traffic in March.
May 8, 2020 - 12:16 PM
As the aviation industry deals with the Covid-19 crisis, some companies such as Air BP are helping the customers and communities that they deal with around the globe. In the U.S., the fuel provider donated three million gallons of jet-A to customers FedEx and Alaska Airlines to assist in the delivery of medical supplies and other essential goods to areas at the greatest risk for the virus.
May 8, 2020 - 12:02 PM
Once Covid-19 reared its ugly head a few short months ago, it quickly became clear the virus was going to cause serious disruptions to daily life, including social distancing and many other behavioral modifications. Flying is not the most amenable of activities consistent with social distancing. Neither are face-to-face medical examinations.
When the impacts of the pandemic were becoming apparent, pilots, aviation organizations, and AMEs asked the FAA to consider temporary relief from the requirement for pilots to obtain regular ongoing FAA medical certificates. The FAA issued legal order FAA-2020-0312 on March 26 that didn’t extend medicals for three months, but rather said the FAA won’t take action against a pilot who is knowingly violating the FARs and flying with an expired medical certificate.
The agency later muddied the water when its Office of Aviation Safety amended the exemption to permit pilots to operate outside of the U.S. using theoretically expired medical certificates, but for only two months, to May 31, not June 30. Then, on April 20, the FAA issued a Special FAR that provides relief from regulatory requirements, including medical considerations—again until May 31.
For sure, there are confusing messages from the FAA. But the bottom line is that, if you can, update your medical certificate on schedule if at all possible. The exemptions are there to assist you if you can’t.
May 8, 2020 - 6:34 AM
Wisk hopes to resume flight testing of its Cora eVTOL aircraft before the end of May, subject to the further lifting of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in New Zealand, where much of the program’s development work is being conducted. Since April 28, when New Zealand moved from level four to level three of its lockdown, Wisk technicians have been able to work in the company’s hangar preparing its prototypes to fly. Tests will be able to restart when level two is achieved, possibly by the end of next week.
May 7, 2020 - 4:50 PM
NetJets has partnered with North Carolina-headquartered Cellex to make antibody testing available to its employees in the coming weeks. The program augments the fractional ownership provider’s joint initiative with its pilots’ union, NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, to offer Covid-19 testing for free to its employees through Quest Diagnostics.
May 7, 2020 - 2:00 PM
Rolls-Royce said little in a statement issued Thursday to dispel unconfirmed press reports that the UK engine group plans to cut as many as 8,000 jobs as it continues to evaluate measures to react to Covid-19-related business distress. So far, the company has placed 4,000 of its UK employees on furlough, the company reported.
May 7, 2020 - 1:29 PM
Leonardo sees most of the negative effect of the Covid-19 pandemic falling on the civil side of its business. Announcing first-quarter results on May 7, the Italian aerospace and defense group indicated that a “heavy” slowdown this year could diminish income from the civil helicopters sector, as well as from its aerostructures work and its ATR regional airliner joint venture.
The group’s civil aviation businesses accounted for about 18 percent of revenues in 2019. It said military and government markets continued to show more resilience.
May 7, 2020 - 12:50 PM
Business aviation groups urged Congress to consider additional, targeted relief to assist the many business and general aviation businesses and airports that have suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
May 7, 2020 - 12:33 PM
For those operators still flying during the Covid-19 crisis, the world has changed in terms of security considerations. Charlie LeBlanc, v-p for United Healthcare Global and a member of NBAA’s security council, stressed during an association-hosted webinar yesterday that having the latest information about your destination is more crucial than ever to ensure the safest missions possible.
