Low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia said on Wednesday (18 March) it would suspend all services for three weeks from 23 March to 15 April. Singapore Airlines also announced it would cut its capacity as well. Both airlines said the cuts were made because of the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus that has killed almost 8,000 people globally. Jetstar Asia, part of the Qantas Group, cited a growing list of travel restrictions and outright bans in some jurisdictions resulted in a “precipitous decline in demand” that has forced it to stop flying.
Singapore Airlines announced it is suspending additional services across its network and would only operate 50 percent of the capacity that had been originally scheduled up to end-April. “Given the growing scale of the border controls globally and its deepening impact on air travel, SIA expects to make further cuts to its capacity. The airline’s CEO, Goh Choon Phong, said: “We have lost a large amount of our traffic in a very short time, and it will not be viable for us to maintain our current network. Make no mistake – we expect the pace of this deterioration to accelerate. The SIA Group must be prepared for a prolonged period of difficulty. The company is actively taking steps to build up our liquidity. The SIA Group will also consult the unions once again as it urgently takes steps to further cut costs. Additional measures will be announced when they have been firmed up.”
Philippine Airlines said Tuesday it cancelled all domestic flights until 12 April after the entire island of Luzon was placed on quarantine to stop the spread of COVID-19. The flag carrier said it would continue operating international flights until 19 March and would make an announcement soon about the status of those flights from 20 March to 12 April. Domestic flights will resume on 13 April, the airline said.
