EU removes US from COVID-19 safe list for non-essential travel
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union on Monday recommended that its member states reimpose travel restrictions on US tourists over rising covid infections in the country.
The European Council, which represents the bloc's 27 governments, said it was taking six territories off its list of locations exempted from restrictions on non-essential travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and the United States of America were removed from the list," a statement said.
The move is not binding on national capitals, which may yet choose to allow fully vaccinated US travellers to visit despite concerns about rising numbers of Covid cases in the country.
But most EU members have followed Brussels' travel advice during the crisis so far.
"This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travellers," the statement said.
Non-essential travel into the bloc from outside the EU and eight associated countries — Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican — has been restricted.
Some countries and territories, however, have been exempted from this list, but their number has been shrinking in recent months and now includes only 17 members, plus China if Beijing reciprocates.
The EU recommended its member states lift restrictions on non-essential travel from the US in June ahead of the peak of the summer tourist season.
That decision came as the US was making major strides with its vaccination programme.
Case numbers in the country have since surged as the more infectious Delta variant has spread and large swathes of the population have refused to get vaccinated.
The American airline industry condemned the latest move from Brussels, insisting it would keep talking to member states to "prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all travelers.
"The European Union's recommendations are a step backwards, and clearly disappointing to the U.S. airline industry which has worked diligently to safely resume transatlantic service," lobby group Airlines for America said.
"As the EU has reopened, Americans have been eager to buy tickets, pack their bags and reunite with loved ones who they have not seen in nearly two years."
The United States has been closed to most international travelers since the start of the pandemic, notably to Europeans, even after the EU re-opened.
However on Monday the White House said that it was considering rethinking its rules.
"We continue to work across federal agencies to develop a consistent and safe international travel policy. This includes travel in Europe," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
"This will involve stepping up the efforts to protect American people, including by potentially strengthening testing protocols for international travel and may also involve ensuring that over time foreign nationals come to the United States are fully vaccinated, with limited exceptions," she said.
Find the latest travel and tourism news from around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. Main image by AFP/Romeo Gacad
Airlines will fly 4.35 billion passengers this year, close to the 2019 record as the industry bounces back from the Covid pandemic, an industry group said on Monday.
The sector will also be back in the green, with net profits forecast to reach $9.8 billion in 2023, or double previous estimates, boosted by the end of China's Covid restrictions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The association added that its 2022 losses were half as bad as previously estimated at $3.6 billion.
"Airline financial performance in 2023 is beating expectations," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement during the association's annual general meeting in Istanbul.
"Stronger profitability is supported by several positive developments. China lifted Covid-19 restrictions earlier in the year than anticipated," Walsh said. — AFP
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific reports its first annual operating profit since 2019 as the airline fights to return to pre-pandemic flight capacity.
"Cathay Pacific has experienced three challenging years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 2022 very much being a year of two halves," chairman Patrick Healy says in a statement announcing the results..
Cathay is still trailing regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines, with Hong Kong's axing of harsh pandemic curbs -- including mandatory hotel quarantine and strict testing requirements -- only beginning in the fall of last year.
The airline operated at one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity in December but expects to reach 70% of that figure by the end of 2023, the company says. — AFP
German airline giant Lufthansa says Friday it returned to annual profit in 2022 after two years of losses, its fortunes lifted by rebounding demand as economies reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns.
The group reported a net profit of 791 million euros ($839 million) for last year. This compares to a net loss of 2.2 billion euros in 2021 and 6.7 billion euros in 2020.
"Lufthansa is back," says the company's CEO Carsten Spohr. — AFP
People hoping to take advantage of a Hong Kong scheme to give away half a million free airline tickets face hours-long online queues on Wednesday, as the Asian financial hub bids to woo tourists back.
The city last month launched a campaign to reboot its reputation as "Asia's world city", after years of strict pandemic-related travel restrictions and a crackdown on sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong became one of the last places in the world to drop its outdoor mask mandate, which city leader John Lee said was a sign that it was "resuming normalcy". — AFP
Australian airline Qantas says Thursday it bounced back into profit in late 2022, hailing a "huge turnaround" after swallowing massive losses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national carrier posted a second-half profit of Aus$1.43 billion (US$974 million) before tax, after accumulating Aus$7 billion in losses across the previous three years.
Chief executive Alan Joyce says surging demand for flights had boosted the company's fortunes while announcing a plan to buy back Aus$500 million in Qantas shares. — AFP
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