Swiss is parking short-haul aircraft at Dubendorf air base and evaluating additional storage locations as the Lufthansa subsidiary reduces operations in response to the coronavirus crisis. The carrier says 24 Airbus A320s will be ferried to Dubendorf, which is close to Swiss's main hub, Zurich airport, at which long-haul aircraft will be parked. Consultations with the Swiss government and air force are ongoing as the airline scouts for additional storage locations. Swiss has a base at the nation's second-largest airport, Geneva, but none the the third, Basel. There are several regional airports and air bases in the country. The airline disclosed on 13 March a plan to park half of its fleet. Cirium fleets data shows Swiss has around 90 aircraft.

Source: Cirium

Pan-European budget carrier Ryanair has become the largest carrier in Europe to indicate it may suspend its services in the light of travel restrictions to counter the coronavirus pandemic. European carriers have over the past week been announcing increasingly large cuts to their services, as country’s tighten their border controls. A number have called a halt to flights altogether for the coming weeks - or will just operate a few flights to accomodate returning nationals. Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline by passenger number in 2019, had already warned it expected to park the majority of its fleet over the next week to 10 days as the impact of the coronavirus escalates, and could suspend all of its services for April and May It on 18 March says that from midnight until midnight 24 March the group will shut down operations on four-fifths of its routes. It expects that after 24 March “most if not all Ryanair Group flights will be grounded”, with the possible exception of a few key routes, mostly between the UK and Ireland. Air Malta had earlier today announced it would suspend all flights from 20 March.

Source: Cirium

South African regional carrier SA Express is suspending operations until further notice, in response to various pressures on the airline. While it mentions the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, SA Express indicates this is only one consideration behind its decision, attributing the suspension to “adverse recent developments”. The airline had been under substantial financial pressure and was driven into a business rescue process earlier this year. SA Express has also been grounded twice in the past four years by the country’s civil aviation regulator following safety concerns turned up by audits. The airline says it is suspending operations from 18 March, but has not indicated when services might be restored. All customers will be accommodated on alternative flights, it adds, while all non-critical personnel will be placed on compulsory leave. SA Express, which uses a fleet of Bombardier CRJs and Q400s, says it will use the suspension period to review its network and “streamline operations for improved efficiency”.

Source: Cirium