Airlines face risks from coronavirus outbreak, similar to SARS

FILE PHOTO: Members of the Thai Airways crew prepare themselves before disinfecting the cabin of an aircraft of the national carrier during a procedure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, January 28. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

KUALA LUMPUR: Airlines face risks from the coronavirus outbreak similar to those that gripped the industry from another rapidly spreading illness in 2003, according to an S&P Global Ratings report published on Thursday.

It said the sudden and rapidly spreading coronavirus respiratory disease is centered in China but has spread internationally, drawing comparisons with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.