Australian carrier Qantas says it will reduce capacity by almost a quarter for the next six months due to fears over the coronavirus, including grounding 38 aircraft, ABC News reports. The airline said there had been a "sudden and significant drop" in demand for flights and that it must reduce the frequency of flights as well as the size of aircraft. In a statement, the airline said: "The latest cuts follow the spread of the coronavirus into Europe and North America over the past fortnight, as well as its continued spread through Asia." Qantas said the biggest reductions would be made to Asian routes, where travel demand is down 30 per cent compared to the same period last year. "Less flying means less work for our people, but we know coronavirus will pass," he said.

Source: The Standard March 10, 2020 03:11 UTC