TAP Air Portugal cancels 1,000 flights

Portugese airline TAP said Thursday it would cut roughly 1,000 flights in March and April as it seeks to adjust to a drop in demand due to the spread of the new coronavirus.

With reservations for March and April dropping off considerably over the past two weeks as cases in Europe of the virus shot up, the airline said it would reduce its capacity by 4 percent in March and 6 percent in April.

"These cancellations focus especially on operations for cities in the most affected regions, especially Italy, but also include the reduction of supply in other European markets that show greater drops in demand, such as Spain or France," the airline said in a statement.

Some intercontinental flights will also be cut, it added, with the total number of cancelled flights around 1,000.

TAP added it had suspended non-critical investments, spending and hiring as well to adapt to lower revenue.

TAP follows a number of European airlines which have reduced flights given a drop in demand for travel in Europe.

The airline industry could lose up to $113 billion in revenue this year due to the impact of the new coronavirus, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned on Thursday.

© 2020 AFP