Government to review 14-day quarantine plan every three weeks May 18, 2020 The government will review its 14-day quarantine measure for incoming travellers to the UK every three weeks, the prime minister’s spokesman has said. Speaking at a briefing for journalists, the spokesman said: “Any changes brought in will be subject to a rolling review every three weeks to ensure they are in line with the latest [...]
Ryanair cuts 2021 traffic target again over coronavirus, but boosts profit May 18, 2020 Ryanair has slashed its passenger traffic target by another 20 per cent for 2021 as it recorded a 13 per cent rise in profit after tax for its latest full-year. The budget airline revealed the profit jump today but warned it may pull out of some of Europe’s airports over coronavirus travel bans. Michael O’Leary’s [...]
Virgin Atlantic won’t fly until August under proposed quarantine measures – report May 15, 2020 The government’s plans to implement a 14-day quarantine period on incoming travellers to the UK would prevent Virgin Atlantic from resuming passenger flights until August. A source at the airline told Reuters that if the initiative, which was announced on Sunday, was approved, it would not be able to fill its aircraft. It said: “If [...]
MPs slam British Airways’ use of furlough amid 12,000 job cuts May 14, 2020 MPs have hit back at British Airways’ owner IAG after the firm’s chief executive confirmed that up to 12,000 proposed job cuts would still go ahead despite the extension of the job retention scheme until October. In response to IAG chief Willie Walsh’s confirmation of the redundancies, transport select committee chair Huw Merriman said that [...]
EU unveils plans to reopen borders in bid to salvage tourism season May 13, 2020 The EU has lain out new guidelines for member states to use to reopen their borders and encourage tourism as the bloc seeks to begin its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. It is hoped that the measures will salvage at least some of Europe’s summer holiday season, which brings in around €150bn in the average [...]
Ryanair to operate 1,000 flights a day from 1 July May 12, 2020 Ryanair will begin operation 40 per cent of its scheduled flights from 1 July as Europe’s largest low-cost carrier seeks to bounce back from the coronavirus crisis. Subject to travel restrictions, the budget airline will run nearly 1,000 flights a day across 90 per cent of its pre-coronavirus route network. In order to facilitate the [...]
Aviation sector slams ‘devastating’ 14-day quarantine plans May 11, 2020 The leaders of the UK’s biggest airlines and airports have written to the government criticising its newly-announced 14-day quarantine period for incoming visitors to the UK. In the letter, which is signed by 27 senior industry figures including the chief executives of Ryanair, Easyjet, Heathrow, Gatwick, and Tui, the sector warned: “An open-ended quarantine, with [...]
Airline stocks sink as FTSE 100 falls on fears of second wave May 11, 2020 The FTSE 100 fell back into negative territory this afternoon after early optimism about an easing of the UK lockdown appeared to evaporate. London’s stock market was up 0.85 per cent as it flirted with the 6,000 points marker earlier today. But traders’ enthusiasm quickly dwindled as European stocks also dropped into the red. The [...]
British Airways: Five things you need to know as IAG reports £1.5bn loss May 7, 2020 British Airways owner IAG this morning reported a total first quarter loss of €1.8bn (£1.5bn), saying that it was currently operating 94 per cent down on its total passenger capacity. More worryingly, it said that it expected the second quarter’s results to be far worse, and warned that passenger demand would not return to pre-coronavirus [...]
Aviation chiefs plead for more help from government amid coronavirus chaos May 6, 2020 Representatives of the UK’s airports and airlines have said that the government must do more to support the aviation sector, warning that it “does not understand the strategic role the industry plays in the economy”. Speaking to the transport select committee, Tim Aldersdale, the chief executive of Airlines UK, said that there were “lots of [...]