Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot warns air travel may not resume until mid-summer
As the coronavirus pandemic has halted almost all travel around the globe, Russian’s biggest airline said that in the best-case scenario, international flights could be resumed in July.
“It is difficult to indicate the exact timing of flights so far but when looking at the best-case forecasts… international traffic may start recovering in the middle of summer,” Aeroflot spokesperson Yulia Spivakova told Rossiya 24 TV.
Even when most of the dangers of the deadly pandemic are behind us, the companies could change some flight rules, the representative said. For example, they might have to keep a certain distance between passengers. Russia’s prime carrier also plans to routinely conduct intensive disinfection of its aircraft as long as is necessary.
Russia halted international flights except for those bringing Russian citizens back home on March 27, as more and more people the country and beyond were diagnosed with the coronavirus. As of Monday, more than 145,000 people have been infected with the virus and 1,356 people have died in the country.
Global airlines have been suffering massive losses and some have even gone bust as the pandemic rages on. As entire fleets remain grounded, some started cutting their workforce, leaving thousands of pilots and cabin crew without jobs.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) earlier warned that the Covid-19 outbreak will result in up to $314 billion in lost revenue for carriers.
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