In light of the global crisis caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus, different sectors of aviation are looking for the ways to survive and support each other. With a number of airlines suspending operations, another has emerged: where to put hundreds of planes?

In this case some support to European airlines has been provided by Copenhagen Airport which turned two runways out of three runways into temporary aircraft parking.

“We expected a high double-digit number of aircraft to be parked at Copenhagen Airport before long. All take-offs and landings will use runway 22L/04R”, the airport said in a statement.

With a decreasing number of flights over the coronavirus and following travel restrictions, the airport does not currently need three operational runways. According to the airport operator, the number of passengers in Copenhagen has dropped by 70% already.

“This is something we’ve never seen before”, said CEO Thomas Woldbye “The situation is developing much faster and more dramatically than what happened during the financial crisis, after 9/11, the ash cloud and any other event that has impacted on aviation since the Second World War“.

One of the primary users of the newly arranged parking lot is the Scandinavian carrier SAS. The airline has halted most of its flights and is in very great need of space to locate its grounded aircraft.