EasyJet announced that it is going to cut flights because of the uncertain outlook for demand after the government decided to put coronavirus quarantines on seven Greek islands.
The British low-cost airline had previously announced that it would operate at 40 percent of capacity between July and September, but has now admitted that it would now be “a little less”.
“We are closely monitoring customer behavior and changing the flight to make sure our schedule meets demand,” said managing director Johan Lundgren in a statement.
“After the introduction of additional quarantine restrictions for seven Greek islands and the continuing uncertainty this brings for customers, demand is now likely to be further affected and therefore lower than previously thought,” he said.
“We are now assuming that we will achieve a little less than 40 percent of our planned flight schedule in the current quarter. We will continue to take a prudent and conservative approach to capacity, as we did during this period.”
The airline, based in Luton, north of London, added that it will not issue financial guidance for 2020 or 2021 due to the ongoing uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has devastated global demand for air travel.
England added seven Greek islands to its coronavirus quarantine list on Monday, but the mainland remains exempt as the government seeks a more targeted way to limit new cases from abroad.
Transport Minister Grant Shapps said anyone arriving from Lesbos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini or Zakynthos on Wednesday after 3:00 a.m. GMT will have to self-isolate for two weeks.
The UK started quarantine in June to stop new infections. The country recorded more than 41,500 deaths in the outbreak – Europe’s worst.
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