The 83 days that changed Australian aviation

20 January

The first cases of the disease outside mainland China are confirmed in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) situation report.

21 January

A 30-year-old man from Washington state who recently visited Wuhan becomes the first US citizen to have a confirmed case of the virus.

23 January

In a dramatic change of tact, Chinese authorities shut down Wuhan, cancelling flights leaving the city and trains, buses, subways and ferries within the province. By now, 17 have died, and more than 570 have been infected globally.

30 January

WHO declares what it terms “a public health emergency of international concern”. China now pledges publicly to work with the organisation to halt its spread.

31 January

President Donald Trump suspends entry into the US by any foreign nationals who have been in China for 14 days, excluding US residents. At this point, the death toll globally reaches 213 with 9,300 infections.

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 was a week delay before the move came into effect, the carrier said it wanted to balance high passenger numbers with travel restrictions, and to allow citizens in China to return home. Globally, British Airways, American, Delta and United make similar moves.

2 February

A 44-year-old man in the Philippines dies after being infected with the disease – the first outside of China. Now, 360 people have died worldwide.

3 February

Qantas begins a mission to repatriate Australians stranded in China. A Boeing 747-400ER departs Australia on 2 February bound for Hong Kong, before travelling to Wuhan. A 14-person volunteer crew, as well as two pilots, take part. Qantas says the call for volunteers was “oversubscribed” with “scores of people putting their hand up to assist”.

Operating as QF6032, the aircraft departs Wuhan at 7:45am local time on 3 February and arrives in Exmouth, Western Australia, at 4 pm. Passengers are then transferred to Christmas Island for a period in quarantine. Passengers and crew are required to wear surgical masks for the journey, which are changed hourly. There is limited food and beverages onboard, and the upper deck of the 747 is reserved for crew use only. Health officials onboard monitor the journey. Qantas says that all of its aircraft “contain medical-grade HEPA filters as part of the air conditioning system, which significantly reduces the risk of virus spread”. The journey is paid for by the Australian government.

6 February

Virgin Australia Group announces its complete withdrawal from Hong Kong, which it partly blames on coronavirus, and also on the ongoing unrest in the city.

7 February

Chinese doctor Li Wenliang dies from the coronavirus. He was hailed a hero for trying to ring the alarm bell that the virus had the potential to grow out of control. In early January, authorities reportedly reprimanded him and forced him to sign a statement calling his warning an illegal rumour.

11 February

WHO renames the infection as COVID-19, an acronym that stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The name is chosen as it does not refer to people, places or animals associated with the virus, to stop future stigma.

14 February

An 80-year-old Chinese tourist dies at a hotel in Paris, becoming the first COVID-19 death outside of Asia, and the fourth outside of mainland China, where 1,500 have now died.

18 February

Singapore cancels 670 flights departing from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, which it blames on the coronavirus. Other affected destinations include LA, Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo. The scale of the cutbacks takes much of the industry by surprise. Globally, COVID-19 causes China’s share of the aviation market to slump from third to 25th, according to a new analysis. The nation’s capacity has now reduced by 1.7 million seats. The Official Aviation Guide says, “No event that we remember has had such a devastating effect on capacity.”

20 February

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce asks staff to take annual leave to alleviate losses caused by the coronavirus downturn. The airline also announces reduced capacity to Asia that amounts to the equivalent of grounding 18 flights. He tells reporters he thinks the virus could cost Qantas $150 million in earnings this year.

25 February

Global airline stocks plunge as the virus takes hold in Italy, where it has infected 220 and killed seven. In Europe, EasyJet crashes 15 per cent and Ryanair 12 per cent, while in the US, American dips 8.5 per cent and Delta 6.3 per cent. WHO significantly ups its rhetoric, stating that even though COVID-19 isn’t a pandemic yet, the world should “do everything you would” to prepare for that eventuality.

26 February

In Italy, a 76-year-old woman becomes the 12th in the country to die of coronavirus. The news and tension cause yet more large share falls for US airlines such as American, United and Delta.

Back home, Virgin Australia Group predicts the disease will cost it $50-70 million for the financial year. It announces it will cut overall capacity by 3 per cent in the second half of the year, including a 3 per cent reduction in domestic and short-term capacity reductions on the Tasman. Seven additional Tigerair A320s will cease flying by October 2020.

28 February

In Italy, 800 are now infected, while there are 14 cases in other countries that can be traced back to Italy, too. Germany has 60 cases and France 57 – triple the amount just two days earlier.

29 February

A patient near Seattle becomes the first US citizen to die of COVID-19. President Trump responds by issuing a “Do not travel” warning to areas such as Italy and South Korea. The nation also bars entry to anyone who has visited Iran in the last 14 days.

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 didn’t visit the hospital until six days later.

Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy says it is “no longer possible” to prevent new cases of coronavirus from entering Australia. He advises anyone returning from Italy or South Korea not to attend their regular work for 14 days. He says, “We have got concerns about Japan and South Korea. They are working hard to control their outbreaks, but we are still concerned that people in those countries may present with an infection.”

3 March

The International Air Transport Association urges regulators to suspend airport slot rules due to the impact of coronavirus, which currently mean airlines must operate 80 per cent of their allocated slots or face losing the right to it for the next season. Alexandre de Juniac, chief executive of IATA, says, “The world is facing a huge challenge to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while enabling the global economy to continue functioning.”

5 March

The NSW safety watchdog says that Qantas’ cleaning standards are so poor they could put passengers and staff at risk of catching COVID-19. An inspection note obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald noted how cleaners were wiping tray tables without disinfectant and performing tasks such as handling soiled nappies and dirty tissues without wearing “protective equipment” for “the majority of these tasks”. SafeWork NSW issues Qantas with an “improvement notice” and order the airline to develop a new system specifically to deal with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Europe’s biggest regional airline, Flybe, becomes the first casualty from COVID-19. The British carrier abruptly goes into administration at midnight, with passengers told in a tweet to “not travel to the airport”. While the business had severe financial troubles, insiders brief the media that it was a fall in bookings sparked by coronavirus that led to its demise.

In the US, President Trump tells Americans it is “safe to fly” after meeting with senior executives from the nation’s biggest airlines to discuss the coronavirus crisis. “Where these people are flying, it’s safe to fly, and large portions of the world it’s very safe to fly.”

6 March

Qantas shares drop 8 per cent, trading at $4.68, a three-year low. The news comes after the airline announces a raft of cuts to its service, including flights to Hong Kong, Auckland, Tokyo and Osaka. Qantas says in a statement, “The coronavirus situation and its impact on international travel demand is evolving, and we’re monitoring closely. Further changes are expected.”

7 March

Virgin Australia doubles down on its commitment to launching a new Brisbane to Tokyo Haneda route on 29 March, despite the coronavirus outbreak rapidly gathering pace. Chief executive Paul Scurrah says the flights are “a real milestone both for Virgin Australia and Queensland, as we become the first airline to connect Brisbane to the closest and most convenient airport in Tokyo”.

9 March

Italy becomes the first European country to enter a nationwide lockdown after 9,172 people test positive for COVID-19, and the death toll rises to 463. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says Italians will require permission to move around the country for work, health or extenuating circumstances. All sporting events and outdoor gatherings are now forbidden, and a 6pm curfew on bars, initially only in place for northern regions, is extended to the whole country. “All forms of gathering in public places or sites open to the public” are forbidden.

Closer to home, the ASX suffers its worst day of trading since the global financial crisis, with Virgin shares limping to a record low of just $0.075 and Qantas dropping to $4.15. In total, $136.5 billion is wiped off the index’s $1.87 trillion value. On the same day, Australian Aviation reports that Qantas passengers are forced to wait two hours to speak to customer service staff as many rush to cancel or move flights.

10 March

President Trump tweets, “Last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!” Despite his reassurances, a sneezing passenger onboard a United Boeing 757-200 to Newark, New Jersey, starts an altercation among several travellers that causes the flight to be diverted.

Qantas and Jetstar increase international capacity cuts from 5 per cent to 23 per cent compared with 2019. Eight of the group’s Airbus A380s are to be grounded until mid-September, with another two in maintenance.

In the UK, Virgin Atlantic becomes one of the first major airlines to publicly admit to “ghost flights”, a new phenomenon of scheduling near empty flights in order to avoid breaking the airport slot rule. The UK Transport Secretary writes to the European Commission asking it to relax the restrictions.

11 March

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says all foreign nationals will no longer be allowed to enter Australia if they have visited Italy in the last 14 days. Those that do come back will have to self-isolate. On the same day, PM Morrison unveils a $2.4 billion health fund to help tackle the fallout from the epidemic. In the US, President Trump makes a prime-time address from the Oval Office to tell citizens he is banning travellers from the EU for 30 days.

12 March

Virgin Australia’s chief executive reassures worried passengers that all of the airline’s aircraft are equipped with face masks and hand sanitisers. He insists planes are cleaned every 24 hours and that crew are trained in “cough etiquette”.

13 March

Virgin Australia announces it will not hire new staff and will increase capacity cuts by 7.7 per cent for the first half of the next financial year. However, Scurrah reassures stakeholders that, “As a largely domestic airline, we are less exposed to the impact on international travel. It’s worth noting that domestic operations account for 88 per cent of our passengers and 78 per cent of our flight revenue.”

Separately, Prime Minister Morrison tells Australians to reconsider overseas travel and only make “essential” international trips. More strikingly, he bans gatherings of more than 500 people from the following Monday, excluding schools, universities and transport. He faces criticism for saying that, before the ban is enacted, he will watch the Cronulla Sharks NRL game on the weekend.

14 March

Despite earlier assurances, the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix is called off. The move follows McLaren team members testing positive for COVID-19.

15 March

Spain follows Italy in imposing a nationwide lockdown as cases in the country hit 7,753, with 288 deaths. Residents are ordered to stay at home and are only allowed out to buy food or medicine, or travel to work. Some flights from the UK to Spain turn around mid-air.

16 March

President Trump imposes a 15-day restriction on Americans to slow the spread of coronavirus, including closing schools and avoiding groups of more than 10 people, discretionary travel, bars, restaurants and food courts. “If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now,” he says, “we will rally together as one nation, and we will defeat the virus, and we’re going to have a big celebration all together.”

Qantas announces more cuts to its flying schedule after Prime Minister Morrison urges anyone arriving in Australia, from any country, to self-isolate for 14 days. Wings of Illawarra, one of the nation’s biggest air shows, is postponed.

17 March

The Qantas Group announces it will cut 90 per cent of international capacity and 60 per cent of domestic until the end of May. The reductions include the grounding of 150 aircraft, almost all of its wide-body fleet. In a sombre message, the airline hints it is shifting towards helping the national effort to keep the economy moving during the coronavirus crisis, with passenger jets now carrying cargo. Qantas says, “Despite the deep cuts, the national carrier’s critical role in transporting people and goods on key international [and] domestic routes will be maintained.”

France imposes a nationwide lockdown, prohibiting gatherings of any size and postponing the second round of elections. News organisations deem it the most stringent in Europe. Officials warn that even meeting a friend on the street or in a park would be punishable with a fine. France now has 6,500 infections and more than 140 deaths. The European Union votes to close at least 26 countries to nearly all visitors from the rest of the world for at least 30 days.

18 March

Prime Minister Morrison increases Australia’s travel restrictions to a level 4, the highest, advising Australians not to leave the country. “That is the first time that has ever happened in Australia’s history,” he says. “The travel advice to every Australian is, ‘Do not travel abroad. Do not go overseas.’ That is a very clear instruction. For those who are thinking of going overseas in the school holidays, don’t. Don’t go overseas.”

Virgin Australia Group suspends all international flights from 30 March to 14 June, and reduces domestic capacity by 50 per cent for the same period. The cuts are the equivalent of grounding 53 aircraft. Nationally, the federal government announces that $715 million in fees and industry levies will be waived for Australian airlines.

19 March

The Qantas Group announces it will effectively suspend two-thirds of its employees and cancel all international flights from late March. Around 20,000 staff are “stood down”, but chief executive Alan Joyce says he is negotiating with Woolworths to see if they can be temporarily relocated there. He says in a statement, “The efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus have led to a huge drop in travel demand, the likes of which we have never seen before. This is having a devastating impact on all airlines.”

19 March

Prime Minister Morrison announces that all non-residents and citizens are banned from entering Australia. He claims 80 per cent of current coronavirus cases are as a result of someone who has contracted the disease from overseas or a contact of theirs. He also pledges to continue trying to get all Australians from around the world home.

20 March

New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, says all non-essential businesses must close and all non-essential members of the workforce must stay at home. “This is the most drastic action we can take,” he says. “We’re going to close the valve because the rate of increase in the number of cases portends a total overwhelming of our hospital system.” Confirmed cases in the city climb to more than 7,000.

Joyce follows Prime Minister Morrison’s announcement by pledging to do everything he can to bring stranded citizens home. “We’re just going through those details with the government at the moment. There could be some international operations that will go past the end of March,” he says.

Joyce also uses a number of interviews to urge the government not to nationalise rival Virgin Australia. He says, “It would be completely unfair to our sector. We’d be competing against the Australian government. Qantas couldn’t do that, it would be an unbalanced, uncompetitive environment.”

23 March

Prime Minister Morrison now effectively bans anyone from leaving the country, except for a few specific exemptions. More dramatically, he puts the country in a partial lockdown by announcing the outright closure of social venues such as pubs, clubs, restaurants and cinemas. Speaking in Parliament, he says, “We summon the spirit of the Anzacs, of our Great Depression generation, of those who built the Snowy, of those who won the great peace of World War II and defended Australia. For many, young and old, 2020 will be the toughest year of our lives.”