The riple Effect How land and air operato rs have been afecte d by the coronavirus

The 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic has affected land and air operators severely, with the segment all but coming to a virtual standstill as tour operators and airlines have been forced to cancel due to lack of demand, as well as border closures and issues of guest safety. Further developments have seen countries around the world enact travel bans for its citizens, including Australia and New Zealand.

Upon the outbreak’s identification in Wuhan, China, reacting first were organisations such as Chinese and Asian specialist Wendy Wu Tours, which moved quickly to alter operations in the region, and has since suspended all tours until mid-april, with guests receiving 100% credit. Asian carriers have also been hit hard, with Cathay Pacific cutting its flights schedule by 90% during the month of April, and Singapore Airlines operating just 50% of its initially scheduled capacity, also until the end of April. Chinese carriers in particular have been devastated, with longsuffering Hainan Airlines effectively being forced into a takeover from a government taskforce. Other carriers in the region which have been hit include Airasia, which has cancelled all flights from Clark International and Manila International airports in the Philippines; Jetstar Asia, which has suspended all services; All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, which between them have cancelled over 5,000 flights; and