Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

British Airways parent company slashes passenger forecast as coronavirus reduces demand for flights

The parent company of British Airways says it cut its fourth-quarter passenger forecast to 30% of last year’s level as government restrictions imposed to control the second wave of coronavirus infections reduces demand for flights

Via AP news wire
Thursday 22 October 2020 06:43 EDT
Virus Outbreak Britain
Virus Outbreak Britain (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The parent company of British Airways has cut its fourth-quarter passenger forecast to just 30% of last year’s level as government restrictions imposed to control a new wave of coronavirus infections reduces demand for flights.

International Airlines Group made the announcement Thursday as it posted a third-quarter operating loss of 1.3 billion euros ($1.7 billion), compared with a profit of 1.4 billion euros in the same period last year.

The company said it reduced the fourth-quarter passenger forecast because of additional restrictions, including “an increase in local lockdowns and extension of quarantine requirements to travelers from an increasing number of countries.’’

The company said that measures meant to mitigate the disruption, such as pre-departure testing and air corridor arrangements, “have not been adopted by governments as quickly as anticipated.''

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in