The virus and a global recession will do more financial damage to airlines than previously estimated, according to an industry trade group. Hundreds of low-wage workers at Philadelphia International Airport for example lost their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the labor unions that represents them.
And with this happenings Governor Ayade of Cross River State wants to start CaliAir. Below here is the opinion of a journalist Citizen Agba Jalingo (see below)
1. Virgin Atlantic, the airline founded by the billionaire Sir Richard Branson has asked the government for hundreds of millions of pounds of state aid. The long-haul passenger airline does not have the cash reserves to ride out months of grounded flights and almost all staff are on unpaid leave and the company has fired more than 3,000 personnel, including 600 pilots.
2. Finnair has returned 12 planes and laid off 2,400 staff.
3. You airline grounded 22 planes and fired 4,100 people.
4. Ryanair has also grounded 113 planes and got rid of 9,00 pilots for the moment and indications show 450 staff would be sacked in the coming months. The EU's larget low cost carrier has also cut all salaries by 50 percent.
5. Norwegian air completely stopped its long-haul operations and the Boeing 787s it earlier leased have been returned to the lessors.
6. SAS returned 14 planes and fired 520 pilots, but the Scandinavian states are studying a plan to liquidate Norwegian and SAS to rebuild a new company from their ashes.
7. Etihad has cancelled18 orders for A350, grounded 10 A380 and 10 Boeing 787 and laid off 720 staff.
8. Emirates has grounded 38 A380s and cancelled all orders for the Boeing 777x (150 aircraft, the largest order for this type) and 56 members of the workforce may retire.
9. Qatar Airways has asked the Qatari government for aid.
10. Wizzair returned 32 Airbus A320s and laid off 1,200 people, including 200 pilots. Another wave of 430 layoffs planned in the coming months and remaining employees would see their wages reduced by 30 per cent.
11. IAG (British Airways’ parent company) has abandoned the takeover of Air Europa (and would pay €40 million compensation for that).
12. IAG (Iberia) grounded 56 planes.
13. IAG (British Airways) grounded 34 planes and anyone over 58 years were directed to retire.
14. Also Luxair reduced its fleet by 50 per cent (and associated redundancies),
15. CSA has abolished its long-haul sector and keeps only five medium-haul aircraft,
16. Eurowings has gone into bankruptcy
17. Brussels Airline has reduced its fleet by 50 percent (and associated redundancies).
18. German mega carrier, Lufthansa said it planned to ground 72 aircraft (in two installments.)
16. Hop is studying the possibility of reducing fleet and staff by 50 per cent.
17. Qantas said they are laying of 20,000 staff.
18. Jet2’s owner, Dart Group, has suspended all flights until 1 May at least and said it was in talks with lenders.
19. Flybe, previously the EU’s largest regional carrier, collapsed as the coronavirus crisis started to hit flight demand. The bankruptcy cost 2,000 jobs and has rippled through the supply chain, with job cuts from companies such as Swissport at regional airports.
20. Reports also indicated that currently there are 60 new aircraft stored at Airbus with no buyers in sight (order cancellations) including 18 A350s.
21. Industry insiders project that there would be a minimum of 8,000 grounded planes by September. With an average of 5.8 crews per plane (medium and long haul combined), that would make more than 90,000 unemployed pilots worldwide.
In the light of all these, is it a wise decision for governor Ayade to keep pulling down peoples homes and livelihoods in the name of building an airport?
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