Easyjet had already reduced its flights drastically. But that was not enough. The British low-cost airline has decided to leave all aircraft on the ground after all return flights had ended. Due to the prevailing restrictions, profitable flight operations were no longer possible, the company explained.
Most airlines find themselves in a similar situation. Overall, airlines in Europe have reduced their services by 88 percent compared to the previous year, as figures from the European air traffic control authority show. On the last Sunday in March 2019, 27,822 flights took place in the 41 Eurocontrol member states, this year there were only 3352.
Aer Lingus and Wideroe as exceptions
Most airlines have cut their flights by more than 90 percent. But there are exceptions. Aer Lingus still operated 58 percent of its flights on 29 March. In the meantime, however, the Irish airline has announced that it will cut its services to 25 percent. The Norwegian regional airline Wideroe still operated 48 percent of its flights, many of them to remote regions on behalf of the government.
