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LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) - The chief executive of British
airline easyJet always expected bumps along the way to a
travel recovery, he said on Monday, denying that a third wave of
COVID-19 infections in Europe put the carrier at risk.
Government ministers have repeatedly warned Britons not to
book holidays abroad, given pandemic uncertainty, threatening
airlines' hopes for a summer recovery. The latest warnings sent
travel and airline stocks down by as much as 8% on Monday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, said the
rise in infections in continental Europe, a so-called third
wave, could head to the UK, placing the peak holiday season in
further jeopardy.
"I never thought that this was going to be a straight line,"
easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren told an aviation conference on
Monday.
Lundgren said he expected "bumps along the way" but what was
important was that vaccines were being rolled out, providing
light at the end of the tunnel.
"The more you can successfully roll this out, the easier and
the faster you can remove the (travel) restrictions because it
will be safe to do so," he said.
EasyJet shares were down 5% at 1523 GMT on worries over the
third wave.
Data provided by conference host Eurocontrol showed that
easyJet flew 92% fewer flights over the past seven days than in
the same week in 2019.
In the UK, foreign holidays are currently banned. The
government has said they could be allowed again from May 17 at
the earliest.
EasyJet, which has raised new debt, cut costs and axed staff
to survive the crisis, is well-placed for a recovery, said
Lundgren, adding that there is underlying demand for travel.
Britain is due to announce on April 12 how and when overseas
travel can restart.
Lundgren said he expects the government to introduce a
"risk-based framework" with countries ranked on COVID-19 risk
levels.
Vaccine certificates to allow those who have been inoculated
to travel freely will also be "part of the mix", he added.
Lundgren also urged governments in Europe to resist taking a
zero-coronavirus approach that would keep borders shut.
"We need to get back to a place where we can travel safely
and fly again with no restrictions in place," he said.
(Reporting by Sarah Young
Editing by David Goodman)
