AFP – Singapore Airlines reported a record net loss for its fiscal second quarter as the carrier reeled from the impact of Coronavirus on global air travel.
The airline, which has shed thousands of jobs and grounded much of its fleet, said its net loss in July-September totalled $1.7 billion, down from a net profit of about $74.4 million in the same period the year before.
Revenue for the quarter plunged 81.4 percent to about $584 million, the airline said in a statement.
First-half net losses totalled $2.6 billion.
“The recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to remain patchy, given the new waves of infections around the world and concerns about imported cases,” it said.
The carrier added it had concluded talks with Airbus on a revised schedule for the delivery of aircraft orders and similar negotiations with Boeing were at an “advanced stage”. Last month the firm said it was cutting about 4,300 jobs – around 20 percent of its workforce. With the aviation industry in deep crisis because of the pandemic, airlines have turned to alternative ways to raise cash, from offering “flights to nowhere” to tours of aircraft.
Singapore’s flag-carrier scrapped earlier plans for no-destination flights following an outcry over the potential environmental impact. But it offered passengers the chance to dine on board two parked A380 superjumbos – the world’s biggest passenger jet – and is also offering home deliveries of plane meals. Industry body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that airlines operating in the Asia-Pacific region stand to lose a combined $27.8 billion this year.
IATA forecastthat global air traffic is unlikely to return to pre-Coronavirus levels until at least 2024.
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