The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand [CAAT] has extended its temporary ban on international passenger flights into and out of the country until 2359 local time on Saturday April 18, 2020. Read More » The ban, in place since April 3, does not apply to military or emergency aircraft, emergency landing, technical landing without disembarkation, humanitarian aid, medical and relief flights, repatriation flights and cargo flights, the CAAT said on its website.
Singapore's Changi Airport Group [CAG] will suspend operations at Terminal 2 from May 1, 2020 for 18 months due to the steep decline in passenger traffic, with airlines relocated to one of the three other terminals. The company said on its website the closure of Terminal 2 would allow expansion works at the terminal to be accelerated, with the expected completion date of 2024 brought forward by up to one year.
Figures from the Hong Kong government showed just 813 people arrived by air at Chek Lap Kok on April 5, a drop of 82% compared with passenger numbers at the airport prior to the travel and transit ban introduced on March 25. Also, it said the travel and transit ban due to end on April 7 would be extended "until further notice".
Vietnam Airlines will carry no more than 180 passengers on its 787-9 (configured with 274 or 311 seats) and its A350-900 (305 or 323 seats) and no more than 120 passengers on its A321 fleet (184 seats), on flights to Ho Chi Minh City to comply with requirements from the country's Civil Aviation Authority. This will ensure the number of arriving passengers was within the COVID-19 testing capacity of the airport, Vietnam Airlines said on its website.
The New Zealand government planned to seek reciprocal transit arrangements with a range of countries to make it easier for each other's citizens to return home amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the tightening of travel restrictions around the world, the country’s foreign minister, Winston Peters, has announced.
British Airways (BA) has ended nonstop flights between the UK and Japan, with last service from Tokyo to London scheduled for April 8, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said on its website. All Nippon Airways [ANA] and Japan Airlines [JAL] continue to operate between the two countries.
Indian regional carrier, Air Deccan, said on April 5 it had suspended all operations and all staff would be stood down without pay. Air Deccan CEO, A K Singh, said in a note to staff he had "no choice but to cease its operations until further notice", the Times of India reported.
