South Africa demands compensation from UK for economic damage caused by Covid travel red list in response to Omicron variant December 27, 2021 South Africa is calling for compensation from the UK for the economic damage the country suffered after it was placed on Britain’s Covid travel red list in November. South Africa’s Department of International Relations is demanding compensation after the movement of people was severely restricted, saying Africa’s largest economy took a serious beating because of [...]
Christmas flight cancellations surge amid Omicron concerns December 27, 2021 This weekend around 7,500 flights were cancelled worldwide amid concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. According to data tracking website FlightAware, just yesterday 3,273 flights were slashed, with half of cancellations affecting US routes. Today, around 1,925 cancellations were recorded – with Chinese and US routes among the worst hit. China Eastern was [...]
European airports passenger numbers slightly up in time for Christmas after plunging amid Omicron fears December 23, 2021 Passenger traffic through European airports increased nine per cent last week, as people make journeys to meet loved ones for the festive season, amid a “substantive” drop in traffic since Omicron was first detected. The number of passengers passing through Europe’s airports has fallen by around a fifth in the three weeks after the Omicron [...]
Air passenger demand to grow by two thirds on 2021 levels December 22, 2021 Passenger demand in 2022 is expected to grow by two thirds on 2021, only 15 per cent down on 2019 levels. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, capacity growth will reach up to 47 per cent and will go back to 2015 levels. “Whilst I knew Cirium’s fleet forecast is more optimistic than what we [...]
Travel industry 2022 lookahead: Are we back to square one? December 21, 2021 Less than a month ago, Luis Gallego – chief executive of British Airways’ (BA) owner IAG – was telling aviation stakeholders the industry’s recovery was on its way. Speaking at the Airlines UK conference in Westminster, Gallego revealed that “transatlantic bookings have reached almost 100 per cent of 2019 levels.” “I expect North Atlantic routes [...]
Travel shares tank as lockdown concerns mount December 20, 2021 Shares of airlines such as British Airways’ (BA) owner IAG as well as Easyjet have tanked today as concerns over a possible strengthening of restrictions – including a potential Christmas lockdown – mount. IAG went down 3.35 per cent to 127.62p, while Easyjet registered a 2.11 per cent decline to 497.70p. According to Francesco Ragni, [...]
Germany to ban UK travellers to slow Omicron spread December 19, 2021 Germany will ban most travellers from the UK tonight as it tries to slow the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
UK airlines ask PM to remove travel restrictions as Omicron pushes shares down December 13, 2021 Bosses of major UK airlines have sent Prime Minister Boris Johnson a letter asking the government to remove travel restrictions , as stocks today continued to plummet. Easyjet, as well as British Airways’ (BA) owner IAG and Ryanair, saw their stocks go down 4.72, 5.29 and 3.46 per cent respectively because of fears of further [...]
UK travellers to face week-long waits for PCR results December 9, 2021 Those travelling during the Christmas period could face week-long waits to get their PCR results back. Travel testing company giant Qured said that PCR tests could face delays during the Christmas period because delivery providers work on reduced services. Fit to Fly and Day 2 PCR tests with an arrival date between 20 December and [...]
Follow WHO guidelines and rescind travel bans, airlines warn December 8, 2021 Airlines have called on governments to follow the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advice and rescind travel bans. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents the global airline industry, the Omicron variant’s discovery induced “instant amnesia on governments which implemented knee-jerk restrictions”, going against the UN agency’s advice. “It is unacceptable that rushed [...]