Airlines including Ryanair, Jet2 and easyJet give new updates on when flights will resume

Ryanair, TUI, easyJet, Jet2 and other airlines have released more updates on the likelihood of holidays going ahead.  

Many people are wondering when they will be able to go on holiday again, especially as we’ve been in the midst of a thunderstorm all week and are craving some sun.

Major airlines are providing new updates to the dates and lifting of travel restrictions each week, and a number are now planning a gradual return. 

This week, easyJet has resumed flights across the UK and France and it looks like many others will ramp up their flights over the next few weeks too.

However, the UK Foreign Office’s warning regarding non-essential travel remains the same – that all international travel other than essential travel is advised against. 

The government has also now imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine policy for anybody arriving in the UK. 

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was asked on BBC Breakfast why Brits aren’t being questioned for leaving the country. He said: “That is a fundamental misunderstanding of Foreign Office travel advice.

“We – based on the risk to UK travellers abroad because of terrorism or because of Covid-19 or the vulnerability of the systems in the country – give advice.”

He added that the final decision of travel is for the traveller themselves to make. 

TUI had previously announced that it would be restarting travel on July 1st, however this has been pushed back a further nine days with trips on or before July 10th being cancelled.  

The tour operator has revealed that they are confident things will restart soon with partial operations this summer. They also revealed that winter holidays are up by 6% and summer 2021 looks promising. 

Jet2 has recently pushed back restarting flights from June 17th to July 1st. However, the most recent updates look to July 15th as the date operations will commence. 

The company said in a statement: “Due to the ongoing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we’ve decided to recommence our flights programme on 15 July 2020. If you’re travelling before this date, unfortunately, your booking will be affected as our flights won’t be operating.

Ryanair has said that 40% of its regular flight schedule will resume on July 1st, with CEO Eddie Wilson saying: “Ryanair will be offering up to 1,000 daily flights from 1 July, and we have a range of low fare seat sales, perfect for that summer getaway, which we know many parents and their kids will be looking forward to as we move out of lockdown and into the school holidays.”

He continued: “All Ryanair flights will operate with new health guidelines in place, which will require all passengers (and Ryanair crews) to wear face masks at all times in the airport terminals and on board our aircraft, in compliance with EU guidelines.

easyJet restarted some domestic flights on June 15th within the UK and France. They state that almost half their routes will be open by the end of July and a further 25% by the end of August. 

Between July and September flights will be at a lower frequency than normal, meaning easyJet will be operating at around 30% its normal capacity. 

Virgin Atlantic has announced its plans to restart passenger flights on July 20th, with flights from London Heathrow to Orlando, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York and Los Angeles. More destinations are expected to be added in August.

Norwegian has announced that flights to and from UK airports will begin on July 1st on four main routes that will connect Gatwick and Edinburgh with Oslo and Copenhagen. 

The airline’s chief executive, Jacob Schram, said: “Feedback from our customers has shown that they are keen to get back in the air and resume their travels with Norwegian beyond the current domestic services that we have been operating.”

Air Malta is set to commence its summer schedule on July 1st flying to 22 destinations within Europe. Flights from Manchester Airport will begin in August.

There will be flights to Rome, Lyon, Marseille, Catania, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Vienna, Zurich, Geneva, and Prague. From July 15th there will also be operating flights to Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, London Heathrow, Lisbon, Madrid, Palermo, Paris Charles De Gaulle and Orly.