A fleet of grounded aircraft - like this scene at Changi Airport - is no longer a rare sight at major travel hubs these days.

Worldwide, airlines are being forced to ground their fleets as travel comes to a standstill with countries imposing lockdowns to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

In Singapore, national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has cut 96 per cent of its planned capacity originally scheduled up to end April, which will result in the grounding of around 138 SIA and SilkAir aircraft, out of a total fleet of 147.

The group's low-cost unit, Scoot, has also suspended most of its network, grounding 47 of its fleet of 49 aircraft. SIA has said the situation is the greatest challenge it has ever faced.

The International Air Transport Association has said that airlines stand to lose as much as US$113 billion (S$161 billion) in revenue this year due to the pandemic.