Airlines kicked off 2021 by shrinking their already meager U.K. schedules, prompted by a new coronavirus lockdown and the prospect of further restrictions on travel abroad.
EasyJet Plc, Britain’s biggest discount carrier, pared back its flying program to prioritize essential connections between key U.K. cities and “a small number of international routes.” British Airways said it’ll keep crucial links open, while TUI AG on Tuesday halted all package holiday tours from the U.K. through mid-February, when the new lockdown is set to end.
A spokeswoman for Wizz Air Holdings Plc, which has been adding U.K. bases in an effort to emerge stronger from the pandemic, said it will review capacity to ensure that it remains appropriate to demand.
The fast-spreading virus strain that’s driven up U.K. case counts has also dashed airline-industry hopes of relief from 2020’s unrelenting downturn. Prime Minister Boris Johnson late Monday announced a new coronavirus lockdown that will keep most people at home until mid-February, when vaccines being rolled out are able to stem the worst infection rates since the start of the outbreak.
The lockdown is expected to remain in place at least through the middle of February.
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Source: Bloomberg
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