Travel

EasyJet cancels 350 Portugal flights ahead of strike – union

British airline easyJet has cancelled 350 flights arriving to or departing from Portugal due to a five-day cabin staff strike scheduled for later this month, the SNPVAC union of civil…

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Italy minister wants airlines to explain “unjustified” fare hikes

Italy's Industry Minister Adolfo Urso has lamented that airlines benefiting from the country's tourist boom have hiked their prices too much, and demanded an explanation. Urso instructed the government-appointed inflation…

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Ryanair aiming for at least 50% growth in east, central Europe

Ryanair expects passenger numbers in central and eastern Europe (CEE) to surge by at least 50% over the next decade, the airline's manager for the region said, as it looks…

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European airports traffic almost doubles year-on-year but still lags behind 2019

Traffic at European airports almost doubled year-on-year in 2022 but remained below pre-COVID levels, Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe) said on Tuesday. Last year's traffic jumped 98% compared with…

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Ryanair posts record after-tax profit for Christmas quarter

Ryanair on Monday posted its largest after-tax profit for the October-December quarter and said it was likely to face robust demand for Easter and summer 2023 flights. The Irish airline,…

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Air finance summit tackles jet shortages amid China travel thaw

Financiers at the centre of a $200 billion industry underpinning worldwide airline fleets are meeting in Dublin this week, gambling that China's long-awaited decision to free travel will accelerate their…

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Ryanair is closing Brussels Airport base -Belga

Ryanair is closing its Brussels Airport base, Belgian press agency Belga reported on Wednesday, quoting local union ACV Puls. It said 59 jobs could be at risk. The Irish low-cost…

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Bed nights in EU booked online up 9% in 2022

During the third quarter of 2022, which included the traditional summer holiday months of July and August, guests spent around 251 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the EU,…

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Wizz Air Malta to commence operations today

Wizz Air Malta has been granted an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and an Operating Licence (OL) by the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate…

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London’s Heathrow airport caps departing passengers at 100,000 a day

London's Heathrow said it would cap the number of departing passengers at 100,000 a day this summer to try to limit traveller disruption as it struggles to cope with a rebound in demand.…

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EasyJet cuts more flights to try to manage disruption

Low-cost airline easyJet said on Monday it was cutting thousands more flights this summer after London Gatwick and Amsterdam airports reduced capacity and it battled staff shortages on the ground…

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Ryanair CEO says summer fares will be up 7%-9% on 2019 levels

Ryanair Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Tuesday bookings at Europe's biggest budget airline are strengthening and he expects summer fares to be between 7% and 9% higher than pre-pandemic…

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EasyJet says high crew absence not yet improving

EasyJet said it was yet to see an easing of crew sickness that is causing it to cancel flights and disrupt the Easter plans of thousands of travellers, but it…

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Ryanair expects summer fares to be 5-10% higher than in 2019

Ryanair expects average air fares during this year's summer peak season to be 5-10% higher than pre-pandemic prices in the same period of 2019, Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary was quoted…

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G20 discusses establishment of worldwide health protocols for travel

Group of 20 major economies (G20) chair Indonesia has started talks with members on standardising health protocols for travel, its health minister said on Monday, stressing the importance of harmonising…

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Royal Caribbean pauses some cruise operations due to Omicron concerns

(Reuters) - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has paused some of its cruise operations amid rising numbers of COVID-19 infections due to the Omicron variant. The sailings of three ships -…

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‘Open for business:’ U.S. welcomes first travellers as COVID travel curbs are lifted

Packed intercontinental flights touched down and people embraced relatives at land borders on Monday after the United States lifted restrictions imposed on travellers from much of the world when the…

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UK’s Heathrow Airport flags tepid travel recovery until 2026

Britain's Heathrow Airport Ltd said on Tuesday it was still reporting losses and does not expect air traffic to recover completely until at least 2026 even as the travel industry gathered steam…

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Travel is back, UK’s easyJet says after $1.5 billion pandemic loss

EasyJet said travel was back as it increased capacity for October-December to 70% of its pre-pandemic level, a turnaround from a year in which COVID-19 restrictions drove losses above 1 billion pounds. Demand for…

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Air Malta to resume services to London Gatwick from December 2021

Following increased signs of recovery across many European markets, Air Malta today announced that it has brought forward itsresumption of flights between Malta and London Gatwick to December. The Airline…

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Air Malta Adopts Gender Neutral Language

Diversity and equality are core values at Air Malta, and the airline welcomes all its customers, irrespective of their nationality, race, political ideology, religion, and gender. In an internal communication…

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Ryanair CEO sees ‘very strong recovery’, nudges up passenger target

Ryanair has nudged up its passenger target for the autumn amid signs of a "very strong recovery" in European short-haul flights, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told Reuters in an interview on…

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European travel demand drives easyJet summer comeback

EasyJet plans to fly 60% of its pre-pandemic capacity in July-September as a travel recovery takes hold in mainland Europe, and Britain is expected to catch-up in the coming weeks. The British…

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Malta to allow travelers vaccinated with Made in India AstraZeneca jabs

Malta has changed its travel advice to allow anyone who’s been administered an Astra Zeneca vaccine into the country, regardless of where the vaccine was manufactured. This was announced by…

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U.S.- UK travel corridor talks increasingly unlikely to conclude at end of July- FT

Talks between U.S. and Britain regarding a travel corridor are increasingly unlikely to reach a conclusion by the end of July, the Financial Times reported, citing officials. The officials added the rise in…

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Ireland to lengthen quarantine for partially vaccinated Britons

Ireland will double the quarantine period for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated arrivals from Britain to 10 days but still plans to allow people to move more freely between the two countries…

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Cathay Pacific given extension to draw down $1 billion govt loan

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Tuesday that the Hong Kong government had agreed to extend the drawdown period for a HK$7.8 billion ($1.01 billion) loan facility by a year to…

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EasyJet laments limitations of ‘green list’ as it cancels number of flights

EasyJet issued a communication statement on its ongoing "flight schedule adjustments" which may result in some customers having their travel plans cancelled. The airline urged the UK Government to expand…

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Emirates warns Boeing it will refuse 777x jets if they don’t meet commitments

The head of Emirates airline, one of Boeing's biggest customers, has warned the U.S. planemaker that it would refuse delivery of 777x jets if they fall short of contractual performance…

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EPP says National governments must stop blocking EU COVID-19 Certificate

The EPP Group in the European Parliament has accused national governments of derailing efforts at adopting a common EU Covid-19 Certificate to facilitate travel within Europe. While the Parliament is…

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UK airline stocks cushioned by hopes for big June travel restart

British airline stocks lost ground after the government set out a limited reopening of travel, but losses were cushioned by hopes that a bigger take-off would be on the cards for…

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UK to set out plans for COVID passports, if any, later this month

Britain's government will set out what role, if any, certification and social distancing will have in the country's COVID-19 recovery, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. "We'll be saying more later this month…

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Portugal – only major European ‘sun and sand’ destination sees bookings soar

English tourists simply love their Mediterranean sun and sea Summer destinations, and there was little doubt that hundreds of thousands of travellers around the country were highly expecting the Government…

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Air Malta launches Summer flight schedule

Air Malta launched its summer flight schedule with a planned operation to 20 cities. During the six-month program (covering May till October 2021), the Airline is committed to operate 3,012…

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MEPs want Digital Green Certificate in place by end June

As Europe races to set up a Digital Green Certificate in place to save the holiday season from the pandemic, the European Parliament is targeting the end of June as…

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US will boost ‘Do Not Travel’ advisories to 80% of world

The U.S. State Department said on Monday it will boost its "Do Not Travel" guidance to about 80% of countries worldwide, citing "unprecedented risk to travelers" from the COVID-19 pandemic. The State Department…

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Air Malta announces May operating schedule

As Air Malta prepares to shortly announce its increased Summer flying programme, the Airline has announced its May schedule. The Parisian airport of Orly is the latest addition to the…

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Britain’s Johnson says wants to make travel testing regime ‘easy as possible’

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday (April 6) said he wanted a testing regime for international travel to be easy and cheap, hinting that rapid tests could be used…

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EasyJet CEO criticises testing requirements in Britain’s travel restart plan

LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - The chief executive of British airline easyJet criticised some of the government's plans to restart travel, saying COVID-19 tests should not be required for passengers…

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MTA reacts and denies large party plans / Random swabbing on flights is not enough, doctors insist

Updated 1150 - MTA reacts, denies plans for large parties The Malta Tourism Authority has denied that it is presently planning any large commercial parties. In a statement this morning,…

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Italy to introduce five-day quarantine for travelers from EU Member States

Italy will be introducing a five-day quarantine period for all travelers arriving from EU Member States, including Malta, according to sources in the Ministry of Health quoted by Euronews. People…

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Recovery in UK bookings unaffected by AstraZeneca setback, airlines say

LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - A recovery in UK travel bookings appears undimmed by the suspension of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine elsewhere in Europe, airlines said on Tuesday, as the setback…

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Britons rush to book holidays as soon as PM Johnson announced easing of restrictions

Airlines and travel firms around the United Kingdom have registered a surge in demand a few hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a roadmap of how restrictions will be…

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Greece wants quick EU action on vaccine passports

Greece is calling on EU authorities to "move more quickly" and embrace vaccine certificates, which could restore an element of mass travel in Europe. Speaking to the Financial Times, the…

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Ryanair’s O’Leary optimistic on international travel from May

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said he was optimistic that people in Britain would be able to travel internationally from May, but warned if that…

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All people travelling to UK to face mandatory tests

All the people travelling to the UK are to face mandatory tests from next week. In a statement, quoted by Sky News, Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to announce…

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Vaccine passports: path back to normality or problem in the making?

Governments and developers around the world are exploring the potential use of "vaccine passports" as a way of reopening the economy by identifying those protected against the coronavirus. Those developing the…

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EU agrees ‘dark red’ COVID-19 zones with stricter travel limits

Hotspots of COVID-19 infection in the European Union will be labelled "dark red" zones to discourage all but essential travel, EU governments agreed on Friday. The EU has already set up…

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EU Commission proposes harsher travel restrictions

The European Commission is pushing for further travel restrictions both within its borders as well as for passengers coming from third countries. This plan builds on proposals announced by President…

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Greece proposes joint EU vaccination certificate to ease travel

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Tuesday for the creation of an EU-wide COVID-19 vaccination certificate to help restore cross-border travel that has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Greece, which relies on tourism for…

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US CDC warns against cruise ship travel

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Saturday it recommended that all people avoid cruise ship travel as the risk of COVID-19 on liners is very…

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Maltese Govt updates Covid-tests travel requirements

The government has updated the list of countries from which travellers must present a negative Covid-19 test result which is carried out less than 72 hours before. In a statement,…

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Singapore launches its first ‘cruise to nowhere’

Hit by cabin fever, hundreds of Singapore residents itching to get out of the tiny country boarded a "cruise to nowhere" on Friday, a rare chance to sail the seas…

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COVID tests should play bigger role in international travel – WHO expert

COVID tests should be more widely used in international travel than quarantines, the chair of the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee said on Friday. Didier Houssin, chair of the independent…

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Ryanair announces further schedule cuts

Ryanair said this morning it would cut its capacity in October to approximately 40% of year-earlier levels from a planned 50% and blamed COVID-19 travel restrictions across the European Union.…

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Ask government to end quarantine and embrace coordinated restrictions – IATA to EC President

Leaders of Europe’s coronavirus-stricken travel and tourism industries have appealed to the EU’s chief executive to press governments to end quarantine requirements and instead embrace coordinated restrictions and testing. “This…

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Etihad pushing for health visas and universal international passenger testing

The Financial Times reports that Etihad’s chief executive has called for the introduction of health visas to certify passengers are safe to fly to help the airline industry recover from…

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