Scandinavian airlines see demand uplift in June

Scandinavian airlines have reported a passenger demand uptick in June from May, as interest in air travel slowly returns.

SAS reported an 86pc fall in passenger demand in June on the year to 427,000 passengers, but this was up from 158,000 a month earlier. The carrier reported a 91pc capacity decrease in June on the year, but has added capacity in July following the gradual easing of border restrictions. SAS will restart flights to 10 European destinations by mid-July, including Edinburgh, Dublin, Frankfurt, London and Manchester and is increasing capacity to London's Heathrow airport following the UK's lifting of quarantine measures on 10 July.

Norwegian Air also reported a month-on-month rise to 113,000 passengers from 73,401 in May. In June the carrier decided to reopen 76 European routes starting from 1 July and said that bookings so far this month have increased by 40pc for travels in July and August.

European low-cost carriers Ryanair and Wizz Air also recorded month-on-month passenger demand increases in June, to 400,000 and 502,000 respectively.

But signs of a potential second wave of Covid-19 could curb any increases in travel demand. In Asia-Pacific the flight recovery has been slowed by a resurgence in 19 cases, with airlines in New Zealand, Australia and China halting some domestic and international operations.

By Florence Schmit