Amidst a host of firsts for the aviation industry, the COVID-19 outbreak has seen Etihad Airways operate the first direct commercial flight from the UAE to Israel. A twin-jet Boeing 787-9 departed Abu Dhabi on 19 May bound for Tel Aviv, carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies destined for Palestinian communities in the West Bank
Since the country's Ministry for Foreign Affairs closed borders to all non-essential travel on 19 March, Finnair has had to scale back its operations to 5 per cent of regular carrying capacity.
British transport secretary Grant Shapps has indicated that countries with low Covid-19 infection rates may be exempted from quarantine measures set to go into effect in the UK over the coming weeks.
Emirates has abandoned coronavirus blood tests after Dubai's Department of Health said they were inaccurate.
Back in March, World of Aviation reported that both the EU and (later) the US had relaxed slot rules to curb the growing trend of so-called "ghost flights."
Long beset by financial woes, a report tabled earlier this week by the US Government Accountability Office gave short shrift to the trillion-dollar jet program.
