Airlines seek relief amid virus woes

PARIS: Airlines in the US and Europe cut flights, idled planes and drafted plans to eliminate jobs, while seeking government support to weather the roughest downturn in the industry’s history caused by the coronavirus.

American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. said they’re discussing potential aid from the government, without providing details.

Germany and France are weighing financial aid to help get Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Air France-klm through the crisis. The head of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA acknowledged that the discount carrier is at the brink and pleaded for help. The Italian government is considering pumping 300 million euros ($333 million) into struggling Alitalia SPA and may take over the airline, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

In the UK, the airline industry will need as much as $9.2 billion in government aid, Peter Norris, chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways, will say in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to be sent Monday, Sky News reported.

The economic effects of the viral outbreak have slammed the airline industry as people scrap travel and countries place restrictions on flights from nations with the highest levels of infection. President Donald Trump’s decision to set curbs on European flights capped a tumultuous week and is expected to upend a trans-atlantic market that’s usually the world’s most lucrative.

On Saturday, Trump added bans on the UK and Ireland to the initial list of continental European countries facing temporary restrictions. The existing travel curbs on Europe affect about 7,300 flights to the US, or more than 2 million one-way passenger tickets over the one-month period, according to Cirium, which tracks traffic.