Belgium’s Brussels Airlines has reported record losses of 233 million euros (US$273.8 million) during the first nine months of the year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Hard-hit by the worldwide restrictions on travel, the Lufthansa subsidiary said Thursday that its revenues fell by 70 percent compared with last year, to 339 million euros (US$398.3 million). From January to September, the airline said it transported 73 percent fewer passengers. To weather the crisis, the company has set up a plan to reduce the fleet by 30 percent and its workforce by 25 percent. By the end of September, the number of employees had dropped by 14 percent compared with 2019, Brussels Airlines said.-APThe airline industry hopes that pre-flight testing programs will help relaunch air traffic.-AP

Source: The Standard November 05, 2020 12:00 UTC