On Thursday, the airline group said its third quarter loss hit 1.3 billion euros, all over $1.5 billion.

That was far worse than analyst forecasts and comes as passenger numbers plunged.

The company says it struggled to even half fill.

The few planes that are flying on the coming months don't look much better for the group, which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and other carriers.

Over the fourth quarter, I A G now says it will fly just 30% off its capacity, down from earlier guidance, off 40%.

As a result, it no longer expects to break even over the period, though it said it had plenty off liquidity on hand after raising over $3 billion from shareholders with a rights issue.

One glimmer of hope for the airline was this week's introduction off rapid virus testing at its main hub, London's Heathrow Airport.

Passengers to some destinations can now get a quick check before they fly.

B A and other airlines hope such measures could restore confidence in air travel.

But right now that seems a distant hope I A G shares dropped more than 3% Thursday before recovering some ground.

So far this year, the stock has lost almost 80% off its value.