Airlines strive to stave off calamity as coronavirus locks down Italy

Airlines around the world sank deeper into crisis on Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus epidemic and Italy’s lockdown hammered passenger numbers, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and led to the delaying of plane orders.

Some carriers face calamity, with Korean Air Lines warning the virus outbreak could threaten its survival after it scrapped more than 80% of its international capacity, grounding 100 of its 145 passenger aircraft.

“The situation can get worse at any time and we cannot even predict how long it will last,” Woo Kee-hong, the president of South Korea’s biggest airline, said in a memo to staff that summed up the turmoil facing the industry, reports Reuters.

“But if the situation continues for a longer period, we may reach the threshold where we cannot guarantee the company’s survival.”

Australia’s Qantas Airways said it would also cut its international capacity, by nearly 25% over the next six months, and delay an order for Airbus A350 planes due to a plunge in demand that industry chiefs estimate could hit airlines’ revenue by up to $113 billion this year.

Qantas said it could no longer provide guidance on the financial impact of the coronavirus, which it had estimated on Feb. 20 could hit underlying earnings (EBIT) by up to about $98 million this financial year. Its CEO and chairman will take no salary, managers will receive no bonuses and all staff are being encouraged to take paid or unpaid leave.

Leading U.S. airlines American and Delta suspended their 2020 financial guidance and took drastic further measures to combat the impact of the coronavirus.

Delta said it had seen net bookings fall by as much as 25 per cent to 30 per cent and expected the situation to deteriorate further. It is freezing hiring and offering voluntary leave options to staff.

“This clearly is not an economic event,” CEO Ed Bastian told an industry conference. “This is a fear event, probably more akin to what we saw at 9/11.”

The unprecedented lockdown of the whole of Italy, which is convulsed by Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak, has heaped fresh disaster on global airlines.

Norwegian Air, IAG-owned British Airways, easyJet, Wizz Air and El Al Israel Airlines were among carriers to axe flights to and from the country, where there have been more than 9,000 virus infections and over 460 deaths.

Ryanair said on Tuesday it was cutting its passenger forecast for the year ending March by three million as a direct result of suspending almost all flights to and from its most important market for the next month.