Rows of empty seats of an American Airline flight are seen during a flight between Washington and Miami, in Washington March 18, 2020. — Reuters pic
“The breadth and immediacy of the need to act cannot be overstated,” it said. “It is urgent and unprecedented.” The signatories appeared to be trying, in part, to counter recent negative publicity over reports that in recent years the airlines, while taking in billions in profits, used stock buybacks and other measures to reward shareholders rather than putting money into workers' salaries or a rainy-day fund.
The letter said the sector had already taken steps to protect itself from the catastrophic effects of the coronavirus — which the International Air Transport Association estimates could wipe US$30 billion in revenues from the books of global airlines.