Almost all of its planes are currently stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the British company Easyjet announced on Thursday that it intended to resume certain flights from June 15, mainly on journeys "inside the United Kingdom and France", with health measures on board.
"A small number of flights will start over on routes where we think there is enough demand for them to be profitable," the carrier said in a statement. "Additional routes will be announced in the coming weeks, as demand increases and containment measures in Europe are relaxed," the company said. His Irish "low cost" rival Ryanair had spoken of a recovery from July. British Airways for its part spoke of July, but its boss, Willie Walsh, estimated that these plans were likely to be thwarted by the quarantine measures which the British government intends to impose on travelers arriving from abroad.
Continental flights in July?
Easyjet will introduce health safety measures on board: wearing masks, improved disinfection of devices, disinfectant dispensers and anti-bacterial wipes, and no food served at first. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) had indicated a few days ago that it envisaged the resumption of national flights in June and continental flights from July, with a health protocol which must be presented at the end of the month.
Iata plans to resume inter-continental flights in the last quarter as part of a plan to get the air sector off the ground. The organization plans in particular a health declaration on arrival at the airport, temperature controls or pre-packaged food.
Staff cuts
The airline industry is one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and many companies are fighting for their survival, notably Virgin Atlantic in the United Kingdom and the German Lufthansa. Many have announced thousands of layoffs: 3,000 at Ryanair or Virgin Atlantic, 12,000 at British Airways.
The engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce announced Wednesday to reduce its workforce by at least 9,000 people because of the collapse of commercial air traffic.
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- Deconfinement
- Coronavirus
- Easyjet
- Aviation
- Economy