DATA SPOTLIGHT: Italy

25 February, 2020

This year The Blue Swan Daily will feature some of the leading airlines, airports and country markets for air travel. Here, using the extensive profile insights available to CAPA – Centre for Aviation members to deliver a data snapshot, we look at Italy, where the already under pressure local carriers are facing more pressure as parts of the north of the country are put on lockdown with a huge spike in COVID-19 novel coronavirus cases.

Alongside Iran and South Korea, Italy has seen a spike in cases with seven reported fatalities with the worst-affected areas the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Infection fears from investors shaved 5.4% off the Milan stock exchange with the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto the industrial and financial heartlands.

In the first signs of strain on airlines, a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Milan was delayed this week when a passenger asked to get off the flight over coronavirus fears, while an Alitalia flight was held in Mauritius on arrival for fears of infection. Austria has threatened to close its borders if suspected carriers tried to enter from Italy, while Ireland and Serbia have advised citizens not to travel to the affected areas in the north of the country.

AIRPORTS IN THE COUNTRY