BEIJING — China's aviation regulator will support restructuring or mergers to help airlines cope with the coronavirus outbreak, it said on Wednesday, noting that the epidemic has hurt the bottom lines of many carriers. The epidemic, which originated in the transportation hub city of Wuhan and quickly spread to the rest of China, has caused global airlines to cancel thousands of flights after dozen of countries imposed travel restrictions amid virus fears, dampening demand. On Feb. 11, airlines canceled 12,662 flights in China, according to aviation data provider Variflight. The Civil Aviation Administration of China will continue to lobby authorities to subsidize airlines hurt by travel curbs due to the coronavirus, Xiong Jie, a CAAC spokesman, told a media briefing, adding that more fees would be waived for carriers.

Source: International New York Times February 12, 2020 03:56 UTC