Paris/London (Reuters): Global airlines warned on Tuesday that many carriers may not survive a record cash squeeze in the second quarter, as revenues and traffic plunge because of the coronavirus crisis.

Fresh quarterly estimates suggest airlines face a $ 61 billion cash burn and a $ 39 billion net loss during the current quarter, the head of the International Air Transport Association, told a media conference call.

“These are numbers beyond anything we have ever had in our industry,” IATA Director General Alexandre De Juniac added.

Global airlines expect crisis to persist to late 2020