Highlights
- US to end travel ban for foreign nationals in early November.
- The lifting of the travel ban will allow travellers from EU, UK, and other countries to enter US if they’re fully vaccinated.
- The move to resume the profitable transatlantic flights has been welcomed by the airline industry in the UK and Europe.
The travel ban, which has been placed in the US for over 500 days, will now be lifted for EU and UK travellers from November, in addition to travellers from several other countries. This is some positive good news for the people as well as the airline industry, especially for the highly profitable transatlantic routes between the US and UK, particularly between New York and London.
According to a recent report called The Multi-Billion Cost Of A Lost Summer, there would be a £55.7 billion ($76 billion) trade loss and £3 billion ($4.1 billion) tourism GDP loss if reopening was held back until September. Additionally, the report suggested that every month after February 2020, around 5,164 aviation and related jobs were lost in the UK.
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Image description: As per the new rule, all fully vaccinated adult foreign nationals will be allowed to travel to the US.
According to the new travel policy, all fully vaccinated adult foreign nationals will be allowed to travel to the US, provided that they get tested negative no more than three days prior to departure. Experts are predicting that the pent-up demand for air travel will lead to higher airfares on flights from Europe, despite the delta variant and high number of Covid cases in the US.
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Let’s take a look at some of the top UK aviation stocks that may be impacted by the new development.
Wizz Air Holdings PLC (LON: WIZZ)
The Switzerland-based airline company has a market capitalisation of £5,281.89 million. It got listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2015 and is also a constituent of the FTSE 250 index. Its Earnings per share is -6.73 and its 1-year return is 50.66%. Wizz Air Holdings PLC’s shares were trading at GBX 5,128.00 as on 21 September 2021, up by 1.68% from its previous close.
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (LON: IAG)
Headquartered in London, the multinational company has a market capitalisation of £8,244.09 million. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2011 and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Its Earnings per share is -1.96 and its 1-year return is 50.32%. The International Consolidated Airlines Group SA’s shares were trading at GBX 176.24 as on 21 September 2021, up by 6.05% from its previous close.
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easyJet plc (LON: EZJ)
Headquartered in Luton, easyJet plc has a market capitalisation of £4,958.90 million. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2000 and is also a constituent of the FTSE 250 index. Its Earnings per share is -2.65 and its 1-year return is 21.79%. The easyJet plc’s shares were trading at GBX 243.70 as on 21 September 2021, down by 0.53% from its previous close.
Jet2 PLC (LON: JET2)
Headquartered in Leeds, Jet2 PLC has a market capitalisation of £2,713.86 million, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2005 and is also a constituent of the FTSE AIM UK 50 index. It has given a return of 86.03% in a year. The Jet2 plc’s shares were trading at GBX 1,282.00 as on 21 September 2021, up by 1.19% from its previous close.
Ryanair Holdings plc (LON: RYA)
Headquartered in Swords, Ireland, Ryanair Holdings has a significantly huge market capitalisation of £16,299.37 million. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1998. It has given a return of 40.25% in a year. The Ryanair Holdings plc’s shares were trading at EUR 16.69 as on 21 September 2021, down by 0.71% from its previous close.
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