12 photos showing runways around the world becoming plane parking lots

With thousands of flights around the world grounded due to the coronavirus pandemic, planes lay unused at airports

Swiss International Air Lines aircraft are parked on the tarmac at the airport in Zurich, Switzerland. EPA

Brussels Airlines planes stand on the tarmac at Brussels Airport, after the suspension of more than 2/3 of the flights of Brussels Airlines, in Zaventem. AFP

Commercial aircrafts remain at the tarmac of closed Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina. AFP

Scoot and Singapore Airlines planes sit on the tarmac, as airlines reduce flights following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Singapore's Changi Airport. Reuters

A Singapore Airlines flight goes past some Jetstar planes parked at the tarmac of Changi Airport in Singapore. Getty Images

Emirates' aircrafts are pictured grounded at Dubai international Airport in Dubai after Emirates suspended all passenger operations. AFP

Cathay Pacific aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac at the airport, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Hong Kong. Reuters

Korean Air's passenger planes are parked on the tarmac at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea. Reuters

AirAsia aircraft are parked on the tarmac at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 in Sepang, Malaysia. EPA

Planes of the German carrier Lufthansa are parked on a closed runway at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany. Reuters

Aircrafts of China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines are seen on the tarmac at the Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China. Reuters

With 38 countries around the world grounding flights completely, and dozens more reducing schedules by up to 90 per cent, airports have become backed up with planes unable to take to the skies.

Images from some of the world’s busiest airports show dozens of air crafts parked up on abandoned runways, or docked at unused gates.

Swiss International Air Lines aircrafts parked on the tarmac in Zurich. EPA

Pictures from Hong Kong International Airport show Cathay Pacific planes parked up at the side of the runway, while in Singapore, dozens of carriers including Scoot and Singapore Airlines lay unused.

In Dubai, the main hub for Emirates Airlines, dozens of the carrier's jets can be seen docked at the airport’s main terminal, with all passenger flights into and out of the UAE grounded for 14 days from Wednesday, March 25. The grounding of passenger flights was brought forward by 48 hours in a last-minute decision by the General Civil Aviation Authority. They were initially due to be stopped at midnight on Thursday March 26.

Scroll through our gallery above to see planes grounded at airports around the world.

The global controls on flights are enforced to stem the spread of Covid-19 by air travel.