The year that changed Aviation

January

On 31 December 2019, Chinese authorities treated a small number of citizens for a mysterious illness in Wuhan. Fast forward to 23 March 2020, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an outright ban on all international flights leaving the country. This is the story of how coronavirus took our industry, and the world, by

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February

1 February Australia follows the US in imposing the same restriction on Chinese visitors. Meanwhile, Qantas announces it will suspend flights to mainland China from 9 February until 29 March. In a statement explaining why there is a week delay before the move came into effect, the carrier says it wants to balance high passenger

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March

2 March NSW Health urges anyone who travelled on the Qatar Airways QR908 flight from Qatar to Sydney to “isolate themselves” and then seek a health assessment if they believe they have symptoms of coronavirus. A woman in her 50s on the flight is confirmed as the state’s sixth case of COVID-19. Crucially, the passenger

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April

6 April The government announces it’s to supplement a selection of repatriation flights to London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Auckland, operated by Qantas and Virgin Australia. The news came after three of the major transport hubs facilitating trips, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Singapore, all suspended transit. Meanwhile, Virgin Australia ramps up its lobbying for

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May

5 May Catering and ground handling business dnata reveals it’s been excluded from the JobKeeper support package – which provides struggling Australian businesses with $1,500 per employee, per fortnight – because it’s owned by a foreign government. Dnata is owned by the Emirates Group, which is in turn run by the state government of Dubai.

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June

2 June Virgin Australia’s administrator announces he’s whittled down the four prospective bidders to two: Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners. Deloitte’s Vaughan Strawbridge says both parties “are well-funded, have deep aviation experience, and see real value in the business and its future”. The decision means that private equity firm BGH Capital and US aviation

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July

3 July The TWU turns on winning Virgin bidder Bain Capital after a photo emerges showing the private investment firm’s team celebrating the deal at a Sydney restaurant. In an interview with The Australian, TWU national secretary Michael Kaine says, “The private equity world may involve a culture of winners and losers, but when thousands

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August

4 August New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirms plans for a trans-Tasman bubble have now been “put on the backburner” due to Victoria’s COVID-19 resurgence. She also indicates that Australia will need to be free of unknown locally acquired cases – so-called community transmission – for at least 28 days before travel could begin.

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September

1 September Rex reveals a full-year underlying profit before tax of $250,000 and an increase in revenue. Executive chairman Lim Kim Hai says, “On behalf of all regional aviation, I would like to place on record our gratitude to the Morrison government and to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional

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October

1 October Prime Minister Scott Morrison reveals he will likely not allow Queensland to receive flights from New Zealand because of the state’s insistence on hotel quarantine for domestic travel. The PM argues he can’t justify allowing trans-Tasman flights into Brisbane if it would mean precious hotel quarantine rooms were taken up by Kiwi arrivals.

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November

2 November Australian Aviation photographer Lenn Bayliss may have captured the moment a former Virgin 737 was being readied for delivery to new rival Rex as staff paint over its iconic tail branding. Rex previously announced it was close to a deal to lease six 737-800 NG aircraft to fly its new network between Sydney,

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December

1 December Australia’s Golden Triangle between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane finally reopens after Queensland lifts its border restrictions to the NSW capital and all of Victoria. Qantas and Jetstar estimate 9,000 passengers were booked to travel on Tuesday from Sydney and Melbourne to Queensland. The airline group now says it will operate more than 420

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