EasyJet Switzerland seeks state aid as virus empties skies
Airlines around the world are battling to survive the coronavirus pandemic. After grounding its fleet of planes on Monday, EasyJet Switzerland has confirmed that it is hoping to receive Swiss state aid.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
EasyJet said on Monday that it had grounded its fleet of 344 planes and had no clear idea when it might resume flights. In Switzerland, the airline normally operates flights to Geneva, Basel-Mulhouse and Zurich airports.
Owing to the global health crisis which has brought the European air travel to a standstill, the regional branch of EasyJet is requesting state support.
An airline spokesman said on Tuesday: “As a Swiss airline employing around 1,000 people with local employment contracts, EasyJet’s regional subsidiary has established contacts with the working group responsible for aviation-specific support measures.”
The German-language business weekly Handelszeitung earlier reported that EasyJet had submitted a request to the federal authorities for a cash injection.
The Swiss authorities have set up an aviation working group to examine requests for support for the sector. Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) also hopes the Swiss state will step in to help it deal with the impact of the new coronavirus.
The Lufthansa subsidiary has reduced the frequency of its commercial flights by over 80%. Around two-thirds of its fleet has been withdrawn from service and numerous SWISS planes are parked at Dübendorf military airport, near Zurich.
Empty skies
The skies over the small Alpine nation are largely emptyExternal link during the current lockdown. Flights across Switzerland’s airspace fell by almost 90% in March, the air navigation service Skyguide reported on Tuesday.
Global airlines will not start to recover from their worst-ever crisis until the last quarter of this year and any rebound will be short-lived if there is a new winter wave of coronavirus, the International Air Transport Association also warned.
Many carriers, even those with strong finances, are struggling to survive.
“These are numbers beyond anything we have ever had in our industry,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General of IATA, which urged governments to speed up bailouts for airlines facing estimated full-year revenue losses of $252 billion.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Swiss International Air Lines hopes to receive state aid over coronavirus
This content was published on
The boss of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) says he hopes the Swiss state will step in to help it deal with the impact of the novel coronavirus.
Airline Swiss suspends all flights to China until end of March
This content was published on
SWISS has now suspended all flights to and from China until March 28 due to the coronavirus. It will use smaller planes to fly to and from Hong Kong.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.