Paris (AFP)

Airlines stunned by the coronavirus crisis and without the prospect of a rebound before long months, even years, are cutting jobs by the thousands, causing the entire aeronautical sector to fall.

Faced with an air gap that could last - up to two or three years say the experts, and certain big bosses of the sector - the social plans succeed one another.

British Airways announced Tuesday the cut of 12,000 jobs, out of a total of 42,000.

The same day, the Scandinavian SAS and the Icelandic Icelandair announced the departure of 5,000 employees for the first and 2,000 for the second.

Professionals in the sector, accustomed to absorb shocks and bounce back quickly - as after September 11, 2001 or the financial crisis of 2008 - fear this time the double effect of a global recession and the caution of travelers paralyzed by the rapid spread and global coronavirus.

"Many companies have found themselves in default (...) governments are providing substantial support but the situation remains extremely fragile," said Brian Pearce, chief financial officer of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), on Tuesday. .

"The situation is not resolved at all. At the start of the year, the companies had on average two months of cash reserves which they have already exhausted," he added.

- State aid -

In March, world air traffic recorded the largest decline in its recent history with a fall of 52.9% compared to the same period of last year, falling back to the level of 2006, according to Iata, which estimates that 25 million jobs in the aviation sector and related activities are threatened worldwide.

A little more than a week ago, the Australian giant Virgin Australia (10,000 jobs) voluntarily put in default, becoming the first major airline to collapse.

In Norway, low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle announced on April 20 the bankruptcy of four subsidiaries, threatening 4,700 jobs.

Strangled by large fixed costs, the companies called on the states for help.

The French and Dutch governments announced Friday aid for the two branches of the Air France-KLM group in the form of direct or guaranteed loans, for a total amount of 9 to 11 billion euros.

To "ensure its solvency", the Lufthansa group is in discussions with the public authorities of the four countries where it is established, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Switzerland.

In Germany, where discussions are protracted, Lufthansa could receive state aid in the amount of 9 to 10 billion euros, according to various media.

The Swiss government announced on Wednesday that it will guarantee 1.2 billion euros in loans to the Swiss subsidiaries of Lufthansa, Swiss and Edelweiss

Condor, a subsidiary of the bankrupt tour operator Thomas Cook, will receive 550 million euros in loans guaranteed by the German public authorities.

On Wednesday, twelve European countries, including France and Poland, asked the European Commission to suspend the obligation imposed on airlines to reimburse passengers whose journeys have been canceled because of the coronavirus. They are asking that these companies be able to tax assets instead, to avoid "serious cash flow problems".

Behind the companies, a whole sector suffers.

The global airport industry is expected to lose 76 billion in turnover in 2020, according to its federation, ACI.

The manufacturer Airbus sees requests for postponement of aircraft orders arriving. The European aircraft manufacturer, which published a net loss of 481 million euros on Wednesday for the first three months of the year, has already slowed down its production and has taken measures of partial unemployment.

Its American competitor Boeing has asked for government assistance of at least $ 60 billion for him and his 17,000 subcontractors, but refuses any entry of the federal state into its capital.

It confirmed a reduction in its global workforce of about 10% on Wednesday, when it announced a net loss in the first quarter of $ 641 million.

© 2020 AFP