Operators relaunch Canary Islands programmes

Wednesday, 23 Oct, 2020 0

Jet2holidays, TUI and EasyJet will relaunch flights and packages to the Canary Islands from this weekend after the UK government removed the islands from the quarantine list.

TUI will resume flights on Saturday to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote with Jet2holidays restarting operations to Tenerife on 30 October and to Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura on 1 November.

EasyJet meanwhile will launch flights on November 2.

Jet2 Chief executive Steve Heapy said: "We welcome today’s announcement and we know that our customers, who want to get flying again, will do so too.

"For some time we have been calling for a proportionate, evidence-based approach to safe travel and this is very much a step in the right direction. There is much to do still, and we look forward to working with government to achieve that."

Heapy described the Canary Islands as ‘hugely important for us and independent travel agents…and for our customers’.

"We know how much our customers want to get away for some winter sun in the Canaries, and they can do this again from 30 October onwards," he said.

Jet2 said flight to the Canaries will operate from all nine of its UK airports.

EasyJet said in a statement: "We welcome the announcement from the UK government that the Canary Islands and Mykonos have been added to the list of quarantine exempt countries for British travellers.

"This will mean many of our customers will be able to take a winter sun break to these popular islands or reschedule a holiday that they’ve been unable to take this summer as a result of the last minute changes to quarantine restrictions.

"As a result we will be putting additional flights on sale in the coming days from our airports across the UK.

"We continue to encourage the Government to take a lead in moving to testing, as well as the approval of new testing technologies, as soon as possible as effective testing is crucial to get people flying again."

TUI UK and Ireland Managing Director Andrew Flintham labelled the reintroduction of the Canaries as a ‘positive step forward for our business and all our customers’.

"We haven’t been able to take people on a TUI holiday to the Canary Islands for 89 days, when the sudden quarantine and subsequent travel advice was imposed with little notice," he said.

"We’re therefore delighted that UK flights will now resume from Saturday 24 October. The first flights will depart to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote this weekend, with many more added in the coming days.

"We urge the Government to continue to work closely with the industry on airport testing so we can open up more destinations in the coming weeks.

"We must move away, where possible, from the anxiety our industry faces waiting for the new list of places people can travel to each week. This level of uncertainty is damaging for business and all those employed in our industry."

By Steve Jones, Contributing Editor (UK)