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Emptier skies: New data shows that nearly 7,000 aircraft have been stored
Emily McNutt
Contributor
March 25, 2020
•
4 min read
Emptier skies: New data shows that nearly 7,000 aircraft have been stored
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It's no shock that the airline industry has especially struggled to cope with the decrease in demand amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Airlines around the world have been forced to cut capacity, with some even suspending their entire operations. And it's the pace at which airlines are taking to grounding operations that has truly been astounding.
As with most things with the coronavirus, developments have been coming fast. News and advisories seem to change every day — and that appears to be holding true even with airlines.
According to new information from data and analytics firm Cirium, nearly 7,000 aircraft from global airlines have already been stored to ride out the rest of the coronavirus outbreak. As countries continue to close their borders and travellers opt to stay home, significant portions of fleets have already been grounded.
In the past 24 hours, the number of grounded aircraft grew by 800, according to Cirium, which now reports 6,639 aircraft in storage globally.
For Boeing aircraft, Cirium says that 2,542 aircraft are grounded, including the previously grounded 737 MAX aircraft — 1,671 narrow-body and 871 wide-body aircraft. Altogether, each variation of aircraft breaks down as follows:
| Aircraft | Number in storage globally |
|---|---|
Boeing 717s | 45 |
Boeing 727s | 6 |
Boeing 737 MAXs | 383 |
Boeing 737s (-200, -300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -800 and -900) | 1,087 |
Boeing 747s | 108 |
Boeing 757s | 150 |
Boeing 767s | 154 |
Boeing 777s | 376 |
Boeing 787s | 233 |
Meanwhile, there are 2,608 Airbus aircraft grounded globally — 1,837 narrow-bodies and 771 wide-bodies. The number of aircraft in storage breaks down as follows:
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| Aircraft | Number in storage globally |
|---|---|
Airbus A220s | 33 |
Airbus A300s | 11 |
Airbus A310s | 8 |
Airbus A318s | 23 |
Airbus A319s | 338 |
Airbus A320s | 948 |
Airbus A320neos | 112 |
Airbus A321s | 325 |
Airbus A321neos | 58 |
Airbus A330s | 467 |
Airbus A330neos | 18 |
Airbus A340s | 117 |
Airbus A350s | 66 |
Airbus A380s | 84 |
The aircraft are stored all over the world at around 600 locations. For British Airways, that means predominantly at its base at London Heathrow for its wide-bodies, as well as Manchester and Cardiff. It's narrow-bodies — specifcally A321s — are, for the most part, in Glasgow. Meanwhile, for Virgin Atlantic, most of its aircraft are in Bournemouth, Glasgow Preswick, Glasgow or London Heathrow.
On Monday, Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline announced that it was completely ending commercial operations until at least June. While it's still flying some aircraft for repatriation and humanitarian efforts, as of Wednesday, all commercial flights have been suspended. At points on Wednesday, we got a look at Europe's skies with just two Ryanair aircraft airborne.
It's likely that the astounding pace at which airlines are parking their aircraft will continue for the weeks and potentially months to come. During parts of April, Virgin Atlantic only expects to operate six aircraft at a time.
Featured photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images.
Featured image by Getty Images
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
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- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
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Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.