easyJet plans to halve Berlin bases - report

Alitalia (AZ, Rome Fiumicino) moved the bulk of its operations from Milan Malpensa to Milan Linate as of August 1, following the limited reopening of the latter in mid-July, ch-aviation analysis has revealed.

The Italian flag carrier relocated its three territorial continuity routes to airports in Sardinia (Alghero, Cagliari, and Olbia) from Malpensa to Linate starting on July 24. The remainder of its domestic and European routes were moved a week later. Following the relocation, Alitalia connects Malpensa with just Rome Fiumicino (2x daily) and Cagliari (weekly), the ch-aviation schedules module shows.

Alitalia plans to restart long-haul operations from Malpensa in the coming weeks; first, to New York JFK on September 2, and then to Tokyo Narita on October 3. It does not have any imminent plans to add any new short-haul routes from the airport.

Located much closer to the centre of Milan, Linate was closed on March 16 when authorities decided to consolidate traffic serving the region of Lombardy at one airport. Linate...

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) in Greece briefly banned Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) from landing at Athens Int'l airport on August 1 due to the carrier's alleged non-compliance with procedures for collecting Passenger Locator Forms before boarding.

The dispute was resolved shortly thereafter and Wizz Air said that the ban, initially imposed through August 14, was lifted on August 2. There is no NOTAM in force preventing the carrier from landing in Greece or specifically in Athens. The low-cost carrier said it had asked its passengers to correctly fill in the forms and make sure they are collected.

The measure was implemented on July 24 to improve the traceability of potential COVID-19 cases in the country without undermining its crucial tourism sector. All passengers have to register on the Greek government's website the day before departure and complete the appropriate form. Airlines are responsible for only allowing passengers with proof of their registration on board. Passengers lacking the requisite registration will not be allowed into Greece with the airline having to bear the cost...

TUI has cancelled all of its holiday packages sold to consumers for travel to mainland Spain effective July 26, until at least August 9. In a press release, the United Kingdom tour operator said the move had been caused by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office's decision to again advise against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.

The FCO said in its travel advisory for Spain that it had based its decision on its "current assessment of COVID-19 risks" but exempted the Balearic and Canary Islands from the recommendation.

"This advice is based on evidence of increases in cases of COVID-19 in several regions, but particularly in Aragon, Navarra and Catalonia (which include the cities of Zaragoza, Pamplona and Barcelona)," it said.

All passengers returning from mainland Spain and the two island groups will, however, have to self-isolate again on their return to the UK effective immediately.

As a result, TUI Airways (BY, London Luton) has cancelled all of its scheduled services to mainland Spain with flights due to operate from Birmingham Int'l...