Tui, IAG, Lufthansa shares rise after British Johnson plan to end closure

The city of Ermoupolis (also called Ermoupoli) is located on the Greek island of Syros.

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LONDON – European travel supplies skyrocketed on Tuesday morning when customers rushed to make new bookings after the UK announced its four-step plan to end coronavirus restrictions.

Shares of Tui, the German travel group, rose by almost 7% in the early European trading hours. International Airlines Group, the owner of British Airways and Iberia, also rose more than 6% and shares of German airline Lufthansa rose more than 4%.

The sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus restrictions, and people are advised not to travel abroad, and if they do, they should be strictly subject to quarantine policies.

On Monday afternoon, however, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his four-step plan to lift all social restrictions on June 21, leading to an increase in new talks.

EasyJet said on Monday night that it was experiencing a 337% increase in flight bookings in the UK and a 630% increase in holiday bookings after the government announcement. Tui also said bookings rose by 500% overnight.

There is a great desire to be out there and see the world and that the pent-up is going to come again, it’s just a matter of time.

Keith Barr

CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts

Greece, Spain, Turkey and Portugal were some of the best destinations in the new discussions.

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said in a statement: “We have consistently seen that demand for travel has sharpened, and this increase in discussions shows that the government’s signal that it intends to reopen, the British consumers were waiting for. “

Andrew Flintham, Managing Director of TUI UK and Ireland, said in an email that the Prime Minister’s announcement is ‘positive’ and shows that our clients will have the opportunity to work with the travel industry on a risk-based framework to travel abroad. summer. ‘

The UK is lifting coronavirus restrictions in four phases starting with the reopening of schools on March 8, but the whole process depends on how the epidemiological situation develops.

The government has also said it is reviewing international restrictions on leisure travel and will announce the changes on April 12.

“We know there are customers who want to travel. There’s a huge desire to be out there and see the world and that pent-up weather is going to come again, it’s just a matter of time,” said CEO Keith Barr of IHG, said. Hotels & Resorts told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe on Tuesday.

“Am I going to do the one-day trip from London to New York for a three-hour meeting? Probably not, so there will be some impact on business travel,” Barr said when asked how the sector is likely to fare. alter. -Covid world, but he added that the “but the vast majority of the estate is going to get through this (crisis).”

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