(Bloomberg) -- EasyJet Plc said a travel restart in the U.K. is lagging behind the rest of Europe because a 14-day quarantine for people arriving in Britain puts off would-be travelers from flying.
The Luton, England-based carrier is seeing strong demand away from its home market, Chief Executive Officer Johan Lundgren said in a Bloomberg TV interview Monday. EasyJet, which is one of the first European airlines to begin building up services after the coronavirus lockdown, is seeing fewer bookings in the U.K., he said.
The delayed recovery in air travel underscores weeks of agitation by airlines to undo a U.K. quarantine plan that was implemented just as the rest of Europe made plans to reopen. EasyJet joined with British Airways and Ryanair Holdings Plc to mount a legal challenge to the rule.
Lundgren held out some optimism for the self-isolation policy being relatively short-lived, saying he favors so-called air bridges that allowed unfettered travel between low-risk nations, or more targeted quarantines imposed where there’s a specific threat. Britain’s biggest discount carrier is restarting with mainly internal flights in the U.K. and routes to France.
“We’re working very hard to get quarantine measures replaced by something that makes more sense,” Lundgren said. “The U.K. is dampened by the quarantine the government has put here last week, but hopefully as that gets replaced we’ll see demand picking up.”
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EasyJet will operate 310 flights involving 22 airports this week. Lundgren said the carrier expects to serve 60% of the usual network in July, increasing to 75% in August, although capacity will still be only about 30% of the normal level in the third quarter as frequencies are reduced.
Europe’s second-biggest low-cost airline will focus on the most profitable flights amid an uncertain pricing supply-demand dynamic, Lundgren said. He added that there’ll be attractive prices for customers, while stopping short of predicting the fare-war anticipated by Ryanair, the region’s biggest discounter.
With Covid-19 infection levels on the decline in most of Europe, governments have been easing travel restrictions, with holiday spots including Greece, Spain and Portugal seeking to win back passengers. Airlines are likewise trying to salvage the tail end of the summer season when tens of millions of people generally take their vacation.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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