Delta Air Lines reports $12.4bn loss

NEW YORK: Delta Air Lines reported another quarterly loss Thursday to conclude what its CEO called “the toughest year in Delta’s history” following the hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Amid depressed traffic levels, Delta’s loss for all of 2020 was $12.4 billion, compared with profits of $4.8 billion in 2019. The loss again highlights the brutal impact of the pandemic on commercial plane travel. However, executives are more optimistic about the year ahead thanks to Covid-19 vaccines.

“Our December quarter capped the toughest year in Delta’s history,” said Chief Executive Ed Bastian said in a statement.

Airlines have laid off thousands of workers and taken planes out of service in an effort to curtail costs during the prolonged downturn.