SITUATION OF EUROPEAN AIRLINES CAUSED BY COVID-19: RESTRICTIONS, GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented crisis, severely affecting the economy and many sectors, including the airline industry. This paper reviews this situation to see how airlines have acted since the beginning of COVID-19. The airline industry is dependent on financial support and subsidies to cope with the massive drop in air travel due to the coronavirus. The support received by the major airlines has been examined. In addition, a comparison has been made of all the aviation restrictions that have been implemented by different European governments. Travellers from countries with a higher incidence of cases, or with a growing rate of cases, have the most restrictions on travel to other countries. Furthermore, the strategies and protocols being implemented by certain airlines following the lifting of some of the restrictions on passenger air traffic are analysed. This paper will provide an insight into how airlines are coping with this unfavourable environment, as well as some of the future prospects and strategies of the aviation sector.