The borders between Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary could open completely in mid-June.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the country starting in July.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued a joint document defining measures to assure the health safety of air travelers and aviation personnel once airlines resume regular flights. The guidance examines each phase of the passenger journey and specifies the actions that need to be taken or measures put in place in six travel segments: before arrival at the airport, in the departure terminal, when boarding, in-flight, in transit and on arrival at the final destination. A separate section focusses on the safety of flight crew members. Passengers are recommended to practice distancing, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and use medical face masks, and to declare their COVID-19-related status before receiving their boarding pass. Passengers will also be asked to provide contact information to allow for “track and trace” if someone on a particular flight later tests positive for COVID-19. Arrival and check-in Those not traveling will need to say goodbye to the passenger before they enter the terminal building, except in defined special cases. Those traveling are expected to take precautions such as washing hands and wearing masks, with exceptions for children under six and people with a medical reason...
Greece will restart its tourism season on June 15 in a key boost to the economy after the virus lockdown, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Wednesday, adding that international flights would resume on July 1. Speaking Wednesday in a televised address to the nation, Mitsotakis said visitors would be subject to sample coronavirus testing and “our general health protocols will be adhered to, without them, however, overshadowing our bright sun or the natural beauties of Greece.” With Greece suffering fewer than 170 COVID-19 deaths over two months into the pandemic, Mitsotakis said the country’s prompt response to the virus would be a “passport of safety, credibility and health” to attract visitors. Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis said a list of nations resuming flights to Greece would be announced by the end of May, noting that Athens would focus on reviving a travel front “from the Balkans to the Baltic.” Bulgarians and northern Europeans including Germans will be among the first visitors, the minister said, in addition to Israelis and Cypriots. Incoming travelers will not be required to undergo virus testing or quarantine, but sample tests will be carried out in tourist areas, the minister said. Theocharis added that 600 beds would...
Passenger traffic at Prague Airport is slowly coming back. In April, the airport saw an unprecedented drop in traffic of 99.6 percent, handling 5031 passengers. At the end of the month, there were only two regular lines, to Minsk and Sofia. In May, however, the situation is starting to change. At the beginning of the month, KLM started daily flights to Amsterdam, as well as the direct Eurowings flight to Düsseldorf. Czech Airlines is currently flying to Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt am Main. Air travel to and from Stockholm is set to be reinstated from May 21 and to Bucharest from May 25. The carries plans to resume operation on its lines to Kiev and Odessa later in May, provided mandatory quarantine restrictions are terminated in Ukraine by then. Lufthansa, Air France, and Finnair are resuming flights In June, other airlines should gradually increase their connections. The flight to Frankfurt starting from June 1 has already been announced by Lufthansa. Air France will start flying from Prague to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport from June 3. Initially, it will fly twice a week, increasing to four flights a week by the end of June. From July, the Finnish carrier Finnair plans to renew the...
Croatia wants to sign an agreement to allow the arrival of tourists with five European countries, including the Czech Republic, writes Jutarnji list. It appears that Croatia will not require Czech tourists to produce a COVID negative test to enter the country. According to the Croatian newspaper, the opening of the border with Slovenia could be followed on 1 June by five other countries. By the end of the week, it might be known which countries will be included in the list. Most likely, will be the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. Two weeks later Germany should be added, Jutarnji list states. Croatia wants to close a similar agreement with China. If the epidemiological situation is favorable, “there is a possibility that Chinese tourists could start arriving in early September,” Jutarnji list added. From May 18, Croatian borders open to tourists with evidence that they have accommodation arranged. Some border crossings on major routes are open for limited traffic (foreign nationals with properties or boats in Croatia, or close family). At the moment, some international and domestic flights are operating and transit is permitted. Parks, shops, museums, hotels, and outdoor restaurants and bars are open, and some public transport is...
The border with Austria could be opened to tourists by mid-June without the need for a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine. “The Czech government is discussing a similar agreement with Slovakia,” said Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (ČSSD)on Tuesday after a video conference with the foreign ministers of both countries. “With Austria, we have confirmed our interest in opening our borders to our citizens and for travel by mid-June, especially for tourists,” said Petříček. “Borders with all neighbouring states – Poland, Germany, Austria and Slovakia – could be open by mid-June,” added Petříček. Health Minister Adam Vojtech “had proposed that as of June 8, travel to and from a list of risky countries – to be determined but currently likely to include Spain, Italy or France – would be subject to the current requirements while others deemed safe – such as Austria, Slovakia or Croatia – would be exempt.” Austria, Slovakia, and Croatia, for example, would be among the non-risk countries; Greece and Bulgaria should be also added to this list. Vojtech said the list of risky countries would be updated continuously. With Greece, the Czech Republic is negotiating a variant of traveling without the need for a negative COVID-19 test....
Earlier last week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to work toward the reopening of the summer tourist season on 1 July
Emirates Group is planning to cut about 30,000 jobs to reduce costs amid the coronavirus outbreak, which will bring down its number of employees by about 30% from more than 105,000 at the end of March, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. An Emirates spokeswoman said that no public announcement has been made yet by the company regarding “redundancies at the airline”, but that the company is conducting a review of “costs and resourcing against business projections”. Emirates, one of the world’s biggest long-haul airlines, said earlier this month that it will raise debt to help itself through the coronavirus pandemic, and may have to take tougher measures as it faces the most difficult months in its history. The state-owned airline had said that a recovery in travel was at least 18 months away. It reported a 21% rise in profit for its financial year ending March 31 but said the pandemic had hit its fourth-quarter performance. It said it would tap banks to raise debt in its first quarter to lessen the impact of the virus on cash flows.
The Czech government could buy up to 100% of airline operator Smartwings, the owner of Czech Airlines, or offer the national flag carrier state-guaranteed loans, Industry Minister Karel Havlicek said on Saturday. The government would discuss the situation with Smartwings and a decision should be reached by the end of June. He said the group was of strategic interest. Smartwings said it welcomed any discussions. “We still believe that further debate about support for the company, which employs 2,500 people, will play out in a businesslike manner,” the group said in a statement. Havlicek said any government move would be an investment, adding the group could be sold later, possibly for a profit. “We are not saying that it will happen but I look out for the interests of transport and industry. In this view, I think it is necessary to protect this type of firm, not only this type but others also,” he said. The government has previously raised the possibility of guaranteeing loans for the group. Smartwings’ Czech Airlines is set to resume flights on Monday after a disruption lasting a month and a half. Smartwings is controlled by Czech businessman Jiri Simane and partners, who own 50.1%...
“Austria will open all borders with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary from midnight on Saturday, May 16,” said today the Austrian Ministry of the Interior. The full opening of the borders is planned on June 15, the APA agency reported. At the same time, Austria has struck the same border-opening agreement with Switzerland and Liechtenstein as the one it previously announced with Germany, to fully allow travel from June 15. “Inspections by health authorities and the police will be less frequent and only random,” the ministry said in a statement. “Our goal is to try to give as much freedom and as little restriction as possible. This is another small step towards normality, especially for people in border areas,” added the ministry. ——- On May 12, the Swiss government announced it would reopen 15 border crossings with Austria, France, and Italy, in eight cantons, in its second phase of the partial easing of the COVID-19 temporary restrictions. The French Minister of Interior has agreed with his German counterpart Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to reopen the common borders by June 15, which restrictions have been put in place in a bid to contain the flow of the COVID-19. Estonia, Lithuania,...
Travelers can vacation in Italy once again as of June 3, the government announced. It's a major step for Italy.
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