Portugal Holds Talks With Germany on ‘Air Corridor’ for Tourists

(Bloomberg) -- The Portuguese government said it’s in advanced talks with Germany about setting up an “air corridor” for tourists.

The government also started talks about this with the U.K. last week as it plans to attract tourists back to the country, Economy Minister Pedro Siza Vieira said at a parliamentary hearing in Lisbon on Tuesday. Countries are discussing how they can resume flights depending on the stage at which the coronavirus outbreak is being contained in different destinations, he said.

Siza Vieira expects restrictions on flights within the European Union may be lifted during the second half of June. The land border with Spain will be closed until July, but flight connections may probably resume from the second half of June, he said.

Portugal last month extended a suspension on flights to and from Italy until June 15. Tourism represents about 15% of Portugal’s gross domestic product and 9% of employment.

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