TUI to fly to Spain and Greece again from July 11 with 'absolute confidence' holidays will restart

TUI will resume holidays to Spain and Greece from next month with "absolute confidence," according to the tour operator.

Flights will begin from July 11 with Brits able to travel to a number of destinations across the popular tourist countries.

The travel company was forced to suspend all flights and holidays back in March due to the pandemic, with thousands of British families finding their long-awaited trips cancelled.

The launching of a limited flight schedule is dependent on the government advice, which still advises against all non-essential travel abroad.

Brits will also still need to quarantine when returning to the UK for two weeks, which will be reviewed on June 29.

If this changes, TUI will resume up to 44 flights per week, with destinations including Crete, Kos and Rhodes in Greece.

Spanish flights will include routes to Ibiza, Lanzarote and Tenerife.

Andrew Flintham, Managing Director of TUI UK & Ireland said: "We’re of course still waiting on the Government to change its travel advice but we’ve been working really hard behind the scenes and we’re ready to start taking holidaymakers away again in just a few weeks’ time.

"Initially, we are focusing on destinations where we anticipate air bridges being in place, such as Greece and Spain.  

"But we know many Brits are eager to travel again, and we have ambitious plans to rapidly increase our programme as soon as possible, to offer even more choice when it comes to holidaying this summer."

Commercial director Richard Sofer added: "We have absolute confidence that we’re going to be getting a positive result from the Government in time for July."

TUI previously announced that they would only fly to countries which don't have quarantine measures in place.

They explained: "We promise we’ll only take you on quarantine-free holidays.

We have absolute confidence that we’re going to be getting a positive result from the Government in time for July

"This means we won’t travel anywhere with known isolating measures in place."

New rules and safety measures have already been introduced for passengers flying and holidaying with TUI.

For flights, these include:

  • Mandatory face masks on board
  • Extra cleaning and disinfecting of aircraft
  • Hand sanitiser sachets available to customers on board
  • Customers advised to remain seated as much as possible with cabin crew managing bathroom queues

When on holiday, TUI guests will also see the following changes:

  • Hand sanitising stations set up throughout hotels
  • Social distancing markers on the floor
  • Restaurants with fewer tables but will stay open for longer
  • Table service to replace self-service dining in some resorts
  • Resort facilities, like sports courts, may be open for longer than normal to allow for social distancing
  • Sun loungers at pools and beaches will be disinfected between each new guest

Spain is already welcoming British tourists back, with the first holidaymakers landing from today.

Brits will be forced to quarantine when returning to the UK for two weeks, but this could be scrapped in the next few days.

Greece, Spain and Portugal holiday prices have been slashed as desperate travel companies attempt to encourage bookings.

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