More airlines are cutting capacity across the networks as demand continues to fall in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, including United and Norwegian.

United said it will reduce its international schedule by 20 per cent in April, with similar cuts being planned for May. This will including reducing frequencies where demand has declined (such as Italy), delaying start dates for seasonal travel to certain destinations and downgauging to smaller aircraft, as well as the existing suspension of services to destinations across Asia including Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the US carrier will be making changes to its domestic network, with schedules across the US and Canada to be reduced by 10 per cent in April. Changes will include replacing multiple frequencies on smaller aircraft with a single flight on a larger plane, reducing off-peak flying and reducing in markets where the airline can accommodate passengers over other hubs.

Norwegian said it has also seen reduced demand and as a result has cancelled 22 flights between Europe and the US between 28 March and 5 May. The company had already reduced it capacity by up to 15 per cent for 2020 and said it will be ¡°monitoring the developments closely¡± to evaluate the need for further changes.

The schedule adjustments affect flights from Rome to Los Angeles, Boston and New York, as well as from London to New York.

In a statement, the airline said it is expecting a limited impact because it has a higher share of leisure traffic, which ¡°seems less affected than business traffic¡±.