US stocks fell tonight as New York State followed California in ordering non-key workers to stay at home and the UK caught up with the rest of Europe by ordering the closure of pubs and cafes to fight the deadly Covid-19 outbreak.

The airline will cut its flying capacity by at least 75% in April and May.

Groups representing the most vulnerable small companies, including tourism, hospitality, and retail firms facing into the Covid-19 storm, say they are angered by the Government’s decision to allow Revenue collect a regular Vat payment at the end of next week.

Whether Qatar Airways further increases its stake in Aer Lingus and British Airways owner IAG will fully depend on the outcome of UK and EU Brexit trade talks, according to a leading aviation analyst.

Sean Doyle told the Irish Examiner that as Aer Lingus takes delivery of new, smaller aircraft with fewer seats, it will reevaluate prospects for transatlantic flights.

The retirement of Dubliner Willie Walsh from the IAG airline conglomerate he created will likely have little effect on the growth plans at Aer Lingus any time soon.

Mr Walsh - who orchestrated the creation of International Airlines Group (IAG) through the merger of British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia - will step down from the role and board of IAG on March 26 and retire on June 30.

The owner of Aer Lingus and British Airways said it will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, becoming the first major airline group to make such a commitment.

Ryanair has launched legal proceedings against its outgoing chief operations officer, Peter Bellew, whom rival EasyJet announced last month it had poached.

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.

Willie Walsh, the boss of airline conglomerate IAG, which owns Aer Lingus, said that airports will have to cut charges they levy airlines and that Cork Airport’s financial health will not be harmed if they do so.

Ryanair trade union Fórsa said it is concerned about the prospects the airline will cut jobs but said it had yet to be informed of specific details.

A study placed the Irish-based budget airline in eighth place, with an average delay of 21 minutes per flight in 2018.

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.

Last week two Irishmen, who are leaders in the world of aviation, made decisions that will have profound consequences for air travel worldwide.

IAG’s boosting of Aer Lingus’ transatlantic fleet contributed to Airbus and Boeing landing more than $17bn (€15.2bn) in plane deals on day two of the Paris Airshow as their sales teams scrapped for orders after a downturn in business and the grounding of Boeing’s top-selling jet.

Both Ryanair and IAG are facing fresh threats of strike action by their British-based pilots.

Chief executive Willie Walsh has said his IAG board heard a strong case this week from Aer Lingus bosses for further expansion out of Ireland across the Atlantic.

Shares in airlines, including Ryanair and Aer-Lingus-owner IAG, as well as travel giant TUI soared, as the threat of any disruption from Brexit was put off beyond the industry’s most profitable summer season.

Benjamin Katz British Airways is refusing to offer pilots and other staff a new three-year salary package, citing an uncertain post-Brexit outlook in proposing a 12-month agreement instead.

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.

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.

Another day in the Brexit saga, and another round of soundbite diplomacy, with the Taoiseach warning that Irish airspace could be closed to overflying British flights if European Union fishing fleets are kept out of UK waters, to which the hardline Leavers holler blackmail.

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

Shares in low-cost, long-haul airline Norwegian rose almost 6% as speculation arose again that Aer Lingus-owner IAG is preparing a new takeover bid.

The chief executive of the International Airlines Group (IAG), Willie Walsh, has said there is no shortage of pilots in the airline industry, confirming that Aer Lingus has recently received 3,000 applications for 100 pilot jobs.

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.

IAG — the owner of Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia — is interested in the London Gatwick slots of failed airline Monarch after it collapsed last week, IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said, adding that the reduction of capacity was good for the industry.

European stocks yesterday fell as Thursday’s terror attack in Barcelona weighed on investor sentiment, the Ftse 100 coming under pressure from falls among consumer giants, financials, and airline stocks.

Major airline groups including Aer Lingus owner IAG have reported strong earnings for the first half of the year, boosting faith in a sector which is finally taking off for investors.

Despite the outrage British Airways faced when its yet to be explained computer meltdown ruined the plans of thousands of travellers stranded at airports for a UK bank holiday, the shares of its IAG owner have barely flickered.

Irish-founded OpenJaw Technologies plans to double its global workforce from 230 to 450 employees in the next three years.

Irish travel software company, OpenJaw Technologies, is to double its global workforce from 230 to 450 employees in the next three years.

Ryanair will soon offer connections to destinations including New York and Havana, as the budget carrier widens its network of longhaul partners with a deal with Spain’s Air Europa.

Aer Lingus saw a near 27% increase in passenger numbers last month, starting the second quarter of the year strongly after parent group IAG reported solid earnings for the first three months.