Coronavirus: EasyJet to resume flights from 15 June

EasyJet (EZJ.L) announced that it will resume flights from a number of UK airports from 15 June.

The airline, which is one of Europe’s largest low-cost carriers, said flights will restart on mainly domestic routes between 22 European airports.

Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Belfast are among the first to reopen in Britain.

EasyJet added that it will implement new safety and hygiene measures and that passengers and crew will be required to wear masks when on board the aircraft. It will also not sell food on the flights and disinfection wipes and hand sanitiser will be made available to passengers.

“I am really pleased that we will be returning to flying in the middle of June,” said Johan Lundgren, CEO at EasyJet in a statement.

“These are small and carefully planned steps that we are taking to gradually resume operations.

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation across Europe so that, when more restrictions are lifted, the schedule will continue to build over time to match demand, while also ensuring we are operating efficiently and on routes that our customers want.

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers remains our highest priority, which is why we are implementing a number of measures to enhance safety at each part of the journey, from disinfecting the aircraft to requiring customers and crew to wear masks.

“These measures will remain in place for as long as is needed to ensure customers and crew are able to fly safely as the world continues to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.”

READ MORE: British Airways owner hopes to revive flights at 50% capacity by July

Airlines are keen to get back to business as the lockdowns around the world have had an unprecedented effect on the industry.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that estimated global airline losses from the impact of COVID-19 have risen to $314bn (£253bn). This is 25% more than previously forecasted. This is also due to a 55% drop in 2020 passenger revenue compared with last year.

British Airways (BA) and Aer Lingus owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG.L) has said that it hopes to revive flights to 50% of capacity by July.

The group also said in a statement that it it is burning through cash and does not expect to return to full capacity until 2023.

The company said COVID-19 was having a “devastating impact on the global airline and travel sectors, with the spread of the virus worldwide, resulting in lockdowns and travel restrictions and advisories, particularly from late February 2020 onwards.”

At the end of April, IAG confirmed that around 12,000 workers at BA could face redundancy as the airline slashes jobs in a bid to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.