EasyJet has put more than 50,000 extra seats on sale to new European green list destinations this summer.
The budget carrier expects to have around one million seats available to European green list destinations this summer from the UK.
New routes from Bristol to Malta will start on July 9 and from Luton on July 11, while the island will see more capacity on existing routes from Gatwick and Manchester.
Thousands of additional seats will also be available from the UK to the Balearic islands this summer.
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The airline plans to serve Palma up to 82 times a week from eight UK airports – Gatwick, Luton, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester and Liverpool – with fares starting at £28.99 one-way. Holiday packages cost from £335 per person.
Ibiza will see 40 flights a week from Gatwick, Bristol, Belfast, London Luton, Manchester with prices starting at £32.99 and packages from £420pp.
Menorca will have up to 25 flights a week this summer from Bristol, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester with fares leading in at £32.99 and package holidays from £360pp.
The capacity hike coincides with Jet2 moving to put flights and packages on sale to Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca, Madeira and Malta from July 1.
Tui will be reviewing its programme following yesterday’s government announcement on green list destinations, with an uodate due today (Friday).
Thomas Cook chief executive Alan French said: “We’re hopeful that with the ever-rising rate of vaccination both in the UK and across Europe the rest of the Mediterranean will go green in time for families’ summer holidays later next month and August. It would be helpful now if the FCDO advice aligned with the new green list countries so customers can book confidently and with certainty they can get insurance.”
The OTA said a spike in traffic yesterday in the hour after the announcement was twice the level seen when Portugal was announced on the green list before being removed. This indicates “both pent-up demand and how much more popular Balearics holidays are”.
EasyJet has shown that much more of Europe should be classed as green on the government’s framework through a recent study by epidemiologists Dr Jeffrey Townsend and Dr Alison Galvani who are faculty at the Yale School of Public Health.
The airline has worked with scientists at Yale on research which has shown that travel from several countries would not affect the UK case rate and that travel to Europe would have “very little impact” on hospitalisations in the UK.
“This is because the success of the UK vaccine roll-out has broken the link between cases and hospitalisation. It is the same success that allows for the domestic reopening,” the airline said.
“With European governments progressively opening up using frameworks in place which enable travel and much of it restriction free, Europe is also demonstrating that a safe reopening of travel is possible,” easyJet added.
Chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “We really want to get back to what we do best and connect people across Europe so we welcome these additions to the green list and in response we have put over 50,000 more seats on sale to new and existing routes to green destinations.
“This includes brand new routes from Bristol and Luton to Malta, meaning we now have around one million seats operating to current European green list destinations this summer.
“And with two thirds of UK adults expected to be double jabbed by 19 July, now is the time to let British citizens take advantage of the success of the vaccination programme so we urge the government to move quickly to remove quarantine and testing for fully vaccinated people travelling from amber and green countries. This is overdue and unless testing is also removed flying could become the preserve of the rich again.
“EasyJet is ready and able to ramp up and we look forward playing our part in reuniting people with their loved ones or take them on a well-deserved break.”
More: Summer of uncertainty as ‘green watchlist’ imposed
Balearics, Malta and some Caribbean islands added to green list
Industry leaders welcome green list additions but demand more