Wednesday newspaper round-up: US airlines, business confidence, housebuilders

Commercial creditors owed money by poor countries should only be eligible for government Covid-19 bailout cash if they agree to sign up to a comprehensive global debt deal, the head of one of the world’s leading charities has said. Despite signs that the G20 group of developed and developing nations are edging towards an agreement on help for the most vulnerable nations, Inger Ashing, chief executive of Save the Children International said the plan would only be fully effective if it included the private sector. – Guardian

Businesses facing a cash crisis are desperate for the Government to launch its furlough scheme in time for this month's payrolls, the British Chambers of Commerce has warned. A survey conducted by the business organisation found that two-thirds of respondents had furloughed staff in advance of the job retention programme, announced last month by Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, which enables employees to be paid 80pc of their wages up to £2,500 a month while they are not working to help avoid redundancies. – Telegraph

The US Treasury Department has announced that major American airlines have tentatively agreed to a $25bn (£19.8bn) support package in an attempt to help them weather the turbulence caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deal is said to have been accepted by the country’s largest airlines - American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue - as well as four smaller rival carriers. – Telegraph

Business confidence fell at its fastest pace on record last month, far surpassing the slump experienced in the financial crisis a decade ago. Many companies are struggling to survive because of the government’s social distancing measures, BDO, the accountancy firm, warned yesterday, as its confidence index plunged by 21.69 points in March to 79.95. – The Times

The government is in talks with housebuilders about extending the Help to Buy scheme as part of a range of measures to get the industry building again after the lockdown is eased. Officials fear that the shutdown of construction work and sales offices during the coronavirus outbreak will have a long-term impact. Savills estimates that builders have downed tools on sites where they could construct about 200,000 new homes, equivalent to almost a year’s supply. – The Times