British Airways’s new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction and non-vaccinated people with a negative COVID-19 test, as he set out his ideas for a travel restart a month before the UK government finalises its plans. Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the government has said, but before that, on April 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume. Sean Doyle, appointed BA’s CE last October, called on Britain to work with other governments to allow vaccines and health apps to open up travel, after a year when minimal flying has left many airlines on life support. “I think people who’ve been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction. Those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result,” he said. Doyle said the roll-out of vaccines made him optimistic BA would be back flying this summer, but added the recovery depends on what is said on April 12. He wants government to give its backing to health apps that can be used to verify a person’s negative COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.<br/>
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BA called on PM Boris Johnson’s government to set a firm plan for resuming international flights, including timelines and conditions that the airline can use to plan ahead for the summer season. IAG’s flagship airline is seeing a “great demand to travel and a real desire to allow British people to travel,” said Sean Doyle, BA’s CEO. “But we do see the need for rapid action and for global coordination.” With infection rates falling, Johnson said in February that the country could reopen international travel from May 17 at the earliest. That’s raised expectations, and Doyle’s comments are intended to gain more certainty from the government on April 12, when a task-force report on the plan is due. The CEO wants enough clarity to start rebuilding BA’s flight schedule, which has been decimated by the pandemic for almost a year. “We’ve got planning windows which run into months, not weeks,” Doyle said. “We know that people want to travel, we know countries want to accept travelers, and we believe that with testing, with vaccination and technology, we can enable that in a way that’s seen as frictionless and will allow the industry to get back on its feet again.”<br/>
British Airways is considering using some of its biggest planes on short routes to sunspots like Greece this summer, positioning the carrier to capture a bigger slice of revenue from returning travelers, according to people familiar with its fleet plans. With the UK among the leaders in vaccine roll-outs, Greece -- a favorite destination for Britons -- is making plans to welcome visitors by mid-May, and Spain is set to follow. Airlines that have largely been idled are angling to make the most of early-summer crowds. At its London Heathrow hub, BA has a slew of twin-aisle Boeing 787s, 777s and Airbus A350s that can carry up to twice as many people as the single-aisle jets that typically ply European routes. Many of the larger planes are available because long-distance destinations they normally serve are still largely off-limits, and aren’t expected to open up as quickly as regional connections. A firm decision by BA will depend on booking volumes and the UK’s plan to reopen leisure travel, said the people, who asked not to be identified because discussions are preliminary.<br/>
The EC said Friday it had authorised a loan of E351m from the Finnish government to Finnair as compensation for losses suffered during the pandemic. The airline, similar to other competitors, incurred significant operating losses due to travel restrictions in Finland and destination countries, the Commission said. “With the measure we approved today, Finland will compensate Finnair for damages directly suffered as a result of such restrictions,” EU antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager said. The state aid, in the form of a hybrid loan, will cover losses for the period between 16 March 2020 and 31 December 2020, the Commission said. <br/>