How airlines will be affected by UK lockdown

The one-month lockdown for England announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this weekend following a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic may halt travel plans.

Johnson announced on Saturday that the lockdown across England would kick in after midnight on Thursday morning and last until December 2.

Airlines have since reacted to the news.

According to the Independent, chief executive of easyJet Johan Lundgren said the airline will operate its planned schedule until Thursday and will be reviewing its flying programme over the lockdown period.

“It is likely that much of the UK touching schedule, ie flights to, from and within the UK, will be cancelled during lockdown with our planned flying set to resume in early December.

“We will advise customers who are booked to travel over the next month of their options with a view to assisting customers to return to the country in the coming days,” he told the publication.

Virgin Atlantic said it will monitor the Covid-19 situation very carefully, including the latest guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as well as any new entry or quarantine restrictions implemented by the countries we fly to.

“We’re aware of the latest guidance issued by the UK government, that from 5th November, UK nationals should avoid all non-essential travel. We are currently evaluating what this means for our customers and flying programme. At present, our schedule remains as published on our website, however, our teams will be in contact with any customers whose travel may be affected, to discuss their options,” the airline posted on its website.

British Airways shared a message for travellers on its website. It revealed that the latest UK government announcement may have caused uncertainty around travel plans in November.

“If your flight is cancelled, please rest assured that we’ll contact you. We’re currently experiencing extremely high call volumes. Please don’t call or message unless you’re travelling in the next 72 hours so we can help those needing urgent rebooking. You can change your flight or apply for a voucher below,” the airline posted. (sic)

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