Turkish Airlines has temporarily halted all flights to and from Italy after the continuing spread of the Covid-19 outbreak in Europe.
In a statement released by the Turkish national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines said that the flight ban would start from March 1. The ban is in place until March 10 for now.
“Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Italy, South Korea and Iraq, our flights to/from these countries are cancelled until 10 March 2020. As the airline that always puts the travel security at the forefront, Turkish Airlines will continue to monitor the latest developments on the situation with the national and international health authorities and take appropriate precautions.”
#Coronavirus cases in #Italy jump again by +500 in space of a day to 1577 and 34 deaths. @TurkishAirlines cancelled all flights to Italy. A company managing Airbnb rentals in Rome says they’ve had 80% cancellations for March by people who fear they’d be forced to quarantine after
— Mark Lowen (@marklowen) March 1, 2020
CNN reports that Italy reported a 50% increase in coronavirus cases this Sunday (March 1), as the US further restricted travel. US-based airline Delta and American have cancelled flights to Milan and has said they will only resume them on May 1.
The Centre for Disease Control in the United States has also asked travellers to avoid all “non essential travel” to Italy and has categorised it as a level 3 threat.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), has warned the airline industry that they could stand to lose $29.3bn of revenue this year due to the effects of the virus.
So far, more than 89,000 people have been infected with the virus worldwide and more than 3,000 have died. Staff at Paris’s Louvre Museum have voted ‘almost unanimously’ to not work due to fears over the coronavirus.
