In light of adverse recent developments including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, SA Express said that it will suspend operations from 18 March 2020 until further notice.<\/p>\n
The airline said that this decision will impact both SA Express customers and staff in the following manner:<\/p>\n
“The airline will utilise this period to review its current network and streamline operations for improved efficiency,” it said.<\/p>\n
“SA Express will provide communication on any additional developments in due course.”<\/p>\n
The International Air Transport Association has warned that the global airline industry will need government aid and bailout measures totalling between $150 billion and $200 billion (R2.5 – R3.3 trillion) if it\u2019s to survive the coronavirus crisis, Bloomberg<\/a> <\/strong>reports.<\/p>\n Even then, the pandemic is likely to reshape the industry, with many airlines failing, others consolidating and entirely new groupings emerging, IATA chief executive officer Alexandre de Juniac said in a webcast briefing on Tuesday.<\/p>\n IATA chief economist Brian Pearce said only about 30 airlines worldwide have reasonably healthy debt and earnings. And even the stronger carriers probably have only enough cash to survive for a matter of months without some sort of aid, making bankruptcy a real near-term risk, he added.<\/p>\n South Africa stepped up international travel bans this week as the coronavirus continued to spread at an alarming pace and the country confirmed its first instances of local transmission.<\/p>\n The number of people infected rose to 85 on Tuesday, up from 62 the day before, and eight of those hadn\u2019t travelled outside the country, the Department of Health said.<\/p>\n
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