Jeremy Bogaisky

Forbes Staff|Aerospace & Defense

Here are the billionaire airline founders, CEOs and major investors who have been hit hardest as the coronavirus pandemic has wiped out airline stocks.

Boeing has been counting on a fast ramp up in deliveries of the 737 MAX once regulators allow the plane to return to service, turning back on the flow of income from the program that’s the company’s main cash engine. With airlines tightening their belts amid a travel slump, that may not happen.

Delta will cut its system capacity by 15 percentage points and take cost-cutting measures while American is dropping flights domestically and abroad. Meanwhile United issues a profit warning and secures a $2B loan.

If drone delivery companies get their way, city streets will soon feature plenty of docking stations. Matternet has unveiled a 10-foot kiosk designed to safely integrate its medical delivery drones into urban environments — and to slash the number of workers it needs and achieve a cost breakthrough.

An aircraft that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly farther and more quickly like an airplane could be a game changer in civil transportation. That's Leonardo's hopes for the long-delayed AW609, but a high price may dim its chances.