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Many Britons are unlikely to be able to take overseas vacations this summer due to the coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
He told ITV’s This Morning that “it’s probably the case” that there won’t be a normal summer vacation season.
The government is opening parts of the economy, and Ryanair plans to start services in July.
But Hancock said the traditional big-holiday Christmas season is unlikely.
Social distancing should be maintained for some time, he said. “The bottom line here is that it is unlikely that grand and luxurious international vacations will be possible this summer.”
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Hancock’s comments came as many airlines detailed plans to restart flights.
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary, who said last month that leaving the center seat clear to help social distancing was “idiotic,” said he planned to sell as many seats as possible this summer.
The airline plans to operate nearly 1,000 flights a day from July, up from 30 today. He said that all crew and passengers wore face covers and that cashless on-board transactions would help keep passengers safe, as well as a new system for bathroom breaks.
Passengers will have to ask the crew to use the restroom to stop queuing.
Meanwhile, EasyJet told the BBC that it does not have a date to restart flights, but that it is keeping the situation under review.
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The announcement came despite government plans to introduce a 14-day quarantine for international travelers to avoid a second surge in the virus, infuriating airlines that were planning to resume flight in the coming months.
Willie Walsh, head of rival firm IAG, which owns British Airways, criticized the move and warned it would force him to review its plans to increase flights in the summer.
“There is nothing positive in anything I heard the Prime Minister say [on Sunday]”he told parliamentarians.
Virgin Atlantic also launched its daylight saving time for 2021 on Tuesday, promising more flights to Tel Aviv, as well as routes linking Florida to Manchester, Glasgow, London Heathrow and Belfast after it pulled out of Gatwick.
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Scenes that are unlikely to be seen this summer
John and Irene Hays, owners of the Hays Travel company, which took over Thomas Cook’s stores last year, said the news has not dampened people’s enthusiasm for escaping.
Mr Hay told BBC Radio 5 Live: “There is a real desire to go on vacation. People have been locked up and, in terms of new bookings, we are receiving strong demand.”
Speaking about the trips that were booked earlier in the year, Ms. Hays added: “Many people are not canceling, they are just putting off their vacation or, in some cases, keeping a credit note for now.”
Hays also thought that having to insulate oneself at home for 14 days after returning from abroad cannot prevent people from traveling.
“If people in the UK are already locked up, they might be happy to spend another two weeks at home. Some people might say go to Spain or somewhere, have a good holiday and then come back and continue their confinement,” he said.
Hancock’s comments echo those of Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps last month who warned people not to book summer vacations, both domestically and abroad, until social distancing rules are relaxed. “I am not going to book a summer vacation right now,” he told the BBC on April 17.
Airlines, and the travel industry in general, have been among the biggest financial losers in the international blockade.
Aircraft fleets have shrunk and thousands of job cuts have been announced, with British Airways cutting 12,000 jobs and Virgin 3,000 jobs.
