GE Aviation will cut 10 percent of its U.S. workforce as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic’s effect on the aviation industry, its parent company announced today. In addition, the engine-maker will furlough approximately 50 percent of its MRO staff for 90 days.
The Coronavirus impact on the aviation Industry
Mar 23, 2020 - 12:20 PM
Preparing for what it believes could be an extended crisis from the Covid-19 outbreak, CAE is laying off workers, cutting salaries throughout the company, curbing hours, and restricting research and development and other capital investment.
Mar 23, 2020 - 11:54 AM
Airbus partially resumed production and assembly work at its French and Spanish plants on Monday after conducting four days of cleaning and health and safety checks, the company confirmed. The European airframer added it has deployed the same measures across all other sites without full interruption.
The company has considered a range of scenarios that could see a longer-term slowdown or shutdown depending on health measures put in place by Europe’s governments; Airbus also operates major manufacturing plants in the UK and Germany.
Mar 23, 2020 - 10:55 AM
Flexjet is implementing a new policy in light of the Covid-19 outbreak to use its own fleet to ferry the fractional operator’s pilots and other flight crewmembers. Flexjet crews have regularly flown aboard commercial airlines from their home base to reach their flight assignment destination, but Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci said, “Given the threat posed by the novel coronavirus and the illness Covid-19, we felt it was in the best interests of our owners and flight crews to take this risk out of the equation and transport our flight crews on our own aircraft.”
Mar 23, 2020 - 10:40 AM
Singapore Airlines Group on Monday said it will cut 96 percent of its system capacity originally scheduled through the end of April and ground most of its fleet as further tightening of border controls around the world to stem the Covid-19 outbreak bring commercial air travel to a near standstill. The moves will see 138 Singapore Airlines and SilkAir aircraft grounded out of a total fleet of 147, while 47 of 49 aircraft sit idle at low-fare subsidiary Scoot.
Mar 23, 2020 - 10:18 AM
The Covid-19 crisis has shut down helitour operations from New York to Hawaii, with some operators planning to remain closed into late April. In New York City, Liberty Helicopters said it is closed until April 1, when it has “every intention” of re-opening.
Mar 23, 2020 - 10:17 AM
Despite the effects of the rapidly growing Covid-19 pandemic on business aviation, International Aircraft Dealers Association accredited-dealers have assisted in the purchase or sale of 54 business aircraft and have another 120 under contract in a 19-day period this month, the organization announced today. “Clearly there is a strong push to make deals in advance of the challenging uncertainties that are ahead of us all,” said IADA executive director Wayne Starling.
Mar 23, 2020 - 8:58 AM
Universal Weather & Aviation undertook a big task last week to facilitate the delivery of one million face masks and a half-million Covid-19 test kits from China to the U.S. through the donation of Alibaba founder Jack Ma, Universal noted on a March 19 blog post.
Mar 23, 2020 - 8:31 AM
Blade is offering delivery service from New York City to the surrounding areas including the Hamptons during the Covid-19 crisis. An unknown number of city residents have relocated to second homes there amid calls from public officials for “social distancing.”
Mar 22, 2020 - 2:19 PM
Emirates Airline said on Sunday it will suspend most passenger operations by Wednesday, March 25, as international travel comes to a virtual halt amid border closings and evaporation of demand due to the Covid-19 crisis. The Dubai-based airline, the world’s fourth-largest carrier in terms of scheduled passenger miles flown, will continue to support customer repatriations and maintain what Emirates Group chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum called a still-busy Boeing 777 cargo operation.
