Jason Young said Covid had left his business in a state of limbo.
Meanwhile, further mixed messages are emerging about Covid restrictions, with the Indian variant posing a growing risk.
However, the average age of Covid patients in England now under 30.
Elsewhere, Airbus strikes an optimistic note, predicting short-haul aircraft production will ramp up.
Agent spells out Covid’s effect on business
An agent has spoken of the “living nightmare” of the past 18 months, with no bookings, cancellations and rearrangements. Jason Young of Bromyard Travel Services in Hereford has run his agency for 12 years. Today, he said it was at a crossroads after "being in a state of limbo" since early 2020. (BBC)
Lifting of restrictions in jeopardy
Plans to fully reopen society on 21 June "look somewhat in doubt" after cases of the Indian variant in England doubled in the space of a week. Professor Danny Altmann of Imperial College London said the final stage of the roadmap, which would see all limits on social contact lifted, are "balanced on a knife edge". The 7,000 cases meant “we have set back our clock”. (Sky News)
Stats show effectiveness of vaccine campaign
The average age for someone testing positive for Covid has dropped to 29, the youngest yet recorded. The figures underline the success of the vaccination campaign. Despite this, the Indian variant means the government is waiting for more data before lifting the final set of lockdown restrictions. (The Daily Mail)
Airbus says demand is returning
Airbus has told suppliers to gear up for record production levels of its A320 family single-aisle jets within two years as flying recovers. Production is set to increase from 40 a month to 45 by the end of the year. Pre-pandemic, Airbus manufactured 60 a month. It plans to make a record 64 a month by spring 2023. Production of its A350 long-haul aircraft is also on the increase. (The Times)
Russia bars airlines in Belarus row
Russia has denied entry to Air France and Austrian Airlines because they planned to avoid flying over Belarus to get to Moscow. Many carriers are avoiding Belarusian airspace since the forced diversion of a Ryanair jet in order to detain a dissident journalist. Russian agents were reported to have left the Ryanair flight when it landed in Minsk. (BBC)
I’m a Celeb heads back to Oz
Hit TV show I’m a Celebrity…is to return to Australia after officials gave the green light. The show was filmed on Australia’s Gold Coast before the pandemic but was moved to North Wales because of Covid travel restrictions. (The Sun)
