Australia and Taiwan have joined the growing number of governments offering financial aid to airlines, while authorities in Europe rushed to agree steps to rescue carriers which have had to park planes and cut jobs as the coronavirus pandemic puts the brake on travel.

The coronavirus epidemic could rob passenger airlines of up to $113bn (€100bn) in revenues this year, an industry body warned.

The airline industry worldwide needs the grounded Boeing 737 Max airline to start flying again but shares in Ryanair which planned to be a large customer of the plane are unlikely to be damaged any time soon, a leading analyst has said.

Overall, 11.2m visitors from abroad landed on Irish shores over the past 12 months, in what proved to be a “mixed bag” of a year, according to the body’s chief executive, Niall Gibbons.

Brexit is continuing to cast a shadow of uncertainty over Irish tourism, with a drop in the number of holidaymakers visiting the country in the month of July when compared to this time last year.

Norwegian Air has agreed to sell its stake in banking company Norwegian Finans Holding for €222m, boosting the loss-making airline’s finances and sending its shares sharply higher.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has claimed there is "a consistent oversupply" of transatlantic flights from Ireland.

The Irish Travel Agents Association says the decision by Norwegian Air to end its transatlantic flights between Ireland and the US is a big blow to Cork and Shannon airports.

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Norwegian Air’s decision to pull all its direct transatlantic flights from Ireland into North America next month amid mounting costs has put up to 134 crew and administrative jobs at risk.

Budapest-based Wizz Air will continue to tap the low-cost airline business in eastern Europe, securing an advantage on western European rivals including Ryanair, Fitch Ratings has said in a review of European airlines’ recent earnings.

Norwegian Air’s Bjoern Kjos stepped down as chief executive of the airline he co-founded and turned into Europe’s third-biggest budget carrier by passenger numbers.

Shares in carrier Norwegian Air climbed after the Aer Lingus and British Airways owner IAG denied a Spanish media report it was preparing another offer for the airline.

Norwegian Air filled more seats on its planes and earned higher revenues per customer in April while dealing with the grounding of its 18 Boeing 737 Max aircraft, it said, sending its shares up almost 3%.

Norwegian Air flights from Cork and Shannon to the US east coast are now unlikely to return for the entire summer schedule, an MEP has claimed, as the firm admitted it is unlikely to return to profitability this year.

The return of flights from Cork and Shannon to the US east coast this summer remain in doubt as various US airlines signalled the Boeing 737 Max aircraft will not fly until at least mid-August.

A morning-after headache may be the side effect of a pint of plain and a whiskey chaser but at least it’s short-lived — the long-term hangover is the thousands of tonnes of carbon emitted during production.

The chief executive of Norwegian Air has met with Boeing executives to discuss the 737 Max crisis that has grounded a tenth of its fleet.

Boeing and Brexit vied for attention on global financial markets, as sterling slumped as the political woes of UK prime minister Theresa May appeared to deepen, while the planemaker’s shares came under renewed pressure after countries closed airspace to the 737 Max.

Norwegian Air gained the backing of Norway’s richest man, providing some stability to the struggling discount carrier as it searches for a new suitor following IAG’s decision to abandon its eight-month pursuit.

IAG, which owns Aer Lingus and British Airways, abandoned an eight-month pursuit of Norwegian Air Shuttle, leaving the indebted airline reeling as it faces a cash crunch during the slow winter season.

Aer Lingus has not ruled out expanding in Cork and Shannon as it plans a huge growth spurt across the Atlantic in the next five years, but Dublin appears likely to receive the lion’s share of the airline’s investment.

Norwegian Air has agreed to sell five Airbus 320neo aircraft, as a part of its plan to ease capital commitments and strengthen its balance sheet.

Aer Lingus has named Cork native Sean Doyle as its next chief executive, after announcing that the incumbent, Stephen Kavanagh, intends to step down at the end of the year.

Shares in low-cost, long-haul airline Norwegian rose almost 2% after it posted a surprise profit and record revenue in the second quarter.

A second airline has confirmed it will drop services between Shannon and Boston for the next winter season.

Norwegian Air has dismissed concerns about its commitment to its Irish transatlantic routes after it revealed it would post larger-than-expected losses for the current quarter.

Irish Ferries owner Irish Continental Group (ICG) has said its €315m investment in two new ferries will equip it for further growth and is a sign of confidence in the Irish Sea and French passenger markets.

As we look back at 2017, Brexit and Trump are two words that came to define many of the year’s headlines, says John Daly

The head of IAG Wilie Walsh says there is still no shortage of pilots in the industry and that some carriers have an issue in terms of finding captains. IAG owns British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia.

Norwegian Air has said its Irish operations will not be affected despite the airline saying it would reduce costs next year compared with this year. 

From Ophelia to the home of Hamlet.

Ryanair could be legally forced to recognise trade unions.

Ryanair has gone on a recruitment blitz, even reaching out to former applicants

The owner of Norwegian Air is understood to have entered the race to secure a tie-up with Monarch Airlines in an attempt to snatch a bigger slice of Britain's low-cost travel market.

Investors will scrutinise the Ryanair share price over the coming weeks for evidence that the rostering fiasco is not a sign of a deeper malaise.

For a long time the market in pilots favoured Ryanair. If the balance of power shifts to the pilots, then cultural change will follow at the company, writes Michael Clifford

Ryanair are issuing their next set of cancellations today while furious passengers demand greater clarity about what's flying and what's not.

Norwegian Air has said it is recruiting pilots to be based in Dublin in order to “support its transatlantic operations as well as future growth in Ireland”.

Ryanair remains interested in acquiring certain assets of broke carrier Air Berlin — including landing slots at major German airports — but has vowed to continue growing strongly in Germany whether or not it is successful.