The fallout from President Donald Trump’s Europe travel ban has begun, with Delta, Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines among the airlines making major announcements.
Delta
Delta Air Lines on Thursday said it will suspend seven routes between the US and Europe on Friday. With flights from multiple US cities to Paris and Amsterdam suspended.
Earlier this week, before the ban was announced, Delta said it was reducing seat capacity to Europe by 15 to 20 per cent, along with other significant flight cuts, as it copes with staggering declines in ticket bookings and a surge in passenger cancellation.
Norwegian Air
Norwegian Air has announced further cuts as it is suspending most of its trans-Atlantic flights as it grounds 40 per cent of its long-haul planes and lays off up to 50 per cent of its employees. Cancellations include:
- 13-29 March: Cancelling the majority of flights to the US from Amsterdam, Madrid, Oslo, Stockholm, Barcelona and Paris.
- 13 March-31 May: All flights between Rome and the US cancelled.
- 29 March-30 April: All flights from Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Athens and Oslo to the US cancelled.
Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia has also announced further cuts. Australia’s second-largest airline will cut overall capacity by 7.7 per cent over the rest of the year, with international flights hit the hardest. From May, the Sydney-Los Angeles service will fly five times a week instead of daily, while trans-Tasman flights will be cut by 6 per cent. Domestic flights within Australia will be cut by 5 per cent, with cancellations mostly confined to routes with high frequencies, such as Sydney-Melbourne.
Singapore Airlines and SilkAir
Singapore Airlines is suspending more flights across its global network. “Singapore Airlines and SilkAir will temporarily reduce services across our network due to weak demand as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak,” the airlines confirmed in a previous statement.
Flights within Asia are the most heavily affected, although Singapore Airlines’ services to Australian, European and US destinations are more heavily impacted as well. A number of flights have been cancelled to Copenhagen, Paris, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan, Barcelona, Rome, Istanbul, Zürich and London.
Emirates
Emirates is implementing a new round of flight suspensions, namely to Italy and the US. The airline is also increasing its measures to fight the outbreak and would use thermal screening for all passengers on US-bound flights from Dubai.
It is suspending all flights to Italy from Dubai at least until 3 April 2020. Venice, Milan, Bologna and Rome flights are being suspended starting from 12, 13, and 14 March 2020, respectively. The final Italy-bound flight would take place on 15 March. In addition, Emirates is suspending its flights to the US.
LATAM airlines Group
LATAM Airlines Group will cut a third of its international flights due to the coronavirus pandemic worldwide. This measure will apply from 1 April to 30 May.
