The coronavirus outbreak is far from resolved. The outbreak of China has spread to South Korea, Iran and Italy. Unfortunately, the virus has reached over 50 countries around the world. Coronavirus outbreak is also affecting tourism, especially in airlines. Thousands of flights have been canceled globally, millions of tourists affected and more airlines are on the verge of collapse.
All because people refuse to travel anymore, but also because there are some travel restrictions in certain regions. In these circumstances, airlines will cancel more and more flights because they cannot fly with empty aircraft.
Lufthansa Group will hold 150 aircraft on the ground
Lufthansa Group will hold 150 aircraft on the ground. 25 of them are dedicated to long-haul flights, while 125 are dedicated to short- and medium-haul flights. At the same time, it will block hires and send hundreds of employees on leave without pay.
Lufthansa Group comprises Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Eurowings, Brussels Airlines and together they have approximately 750 aircraft, one of them the largest fleets in the world. Lufthansa Group air traffic will be reduced by 25% on European routes, especially from / to Italy. But flights to Iran, China and other destinations affected by Coronavirus were also canceled.
According to IATA, the losses will be very large for the aeronautical industry. According to estimates made in February, airlines will lose up to $ 30 billion globally. And global air traffic decreased by 4.3% in February 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.