Mideast airlines must tap handouts to survive virus crisis – Arab News

Mideast airlines must tap handouts to survive virus crisis – Arab News

Mideast airlines must tap handouts to survive virus crisis /node/1648216/business-economy. It warned that without action, the post-coronavirus era will see a thinner line-up of carriers that will deprive regional passengers of the choice they enjoyed in the past. DUBAI: As coronavirus grounds airlines, plunging the industry into unprecedented crisis, Middle East carriers that have been in the red for years must urgently tap assistance from governments facing their own revenue slump.. The Arab Air Carriers' Organization (AACO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have appealed for urgent financial aid from governments, warning that inaction will imperil the industry's future.. IATA, which represents 290 airlines worldwide, said that 2020 revenues of Middle Eastern carriers, which operate over 1,300 aircraft, are expected to drop by $19 billion, a 39-percent decline over last year.. The impact on the region's air transport sector imperils at least 800,000 jobs and could result in the loss of tens of millions of passengers this year, it warned.. Qatar Airways, the second largest in the region, is among a few carriers that are still operating through the crisis, though at just 40 percent of its schedule.. Dubai's Emirates Airline, the largest carrier in the region and