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Coronavirus COVID-19

Airlines ask US, EU for coronavirus testing in order to resume transatlantic flights

Curtis Tate
USA TODAY

Four leading air carriers are calling on the United States and the European Union to establish a joint COVID-19 testing program to rebuild confidence in "critical" transatlantic air travel as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The signatories of the letter, dated July 21, include the top executives of United, American, Lufthansa and International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways.

"Given the unquestioned importance of transatlantic air travel to the global economy as well as to the economic recovery of our businesses," theywrote, "we believe it is critical to find a way to re-open air services between the U.S. and Europe." 

The letter, addressed to Vice President Mike Pence and Ylva Johansson, European commissioner for home affairs, said testing "could be key to providing confidence to permit services to resume without quarantine requirements or other entry restrictions."

The airlines are eager to rebuild their transatlantic market share as the coronavirus pandemic has decimated their business.

"Nobody will benefit from a prolonged closure of this most indispensable corridor for global aviation," they wrote.

United said Tuesday that it lost $1.63 billion in the second quarter as revenue plunged 87%, and it will operate at barely over one-third of capacity through September.

United is poised to lay off 36,000 employees in October, a third of its global workforce.

United received a $3.5 billion federal grant and a $1.5 billion loan for payroll protection. The program was designed to stabilize airlines and keep workers employed until they could shrink their businesses to the travel reality brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

American warned employees last week that the airline will have to lay off as many as 25,000 front-line workers this fall. The Texas-based carrier received a $4.1 billion grant and a $1.7 billion loan under the same program to protect its payroll. American lost more than $2 billion in the first three months of the year. 

U.S. citizens have been barred from traveling to 26 European countries since March.  The United States leads the world in coronavirus cases, with more than 3.8 million, and nearly 141,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Contributing: Dawn Gilbertson, David Oliver, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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