Passenger numbers meanwhile are expected to be at 70 per cent of 2019 levels in the winter months ahead, a stark rise on 53 per cent in the past three months.
Travel industry braces for second cruel summer
The decision to remove Portugal from the travel green list has left aviation bosses angry and confused
A WhatsApp group shared by airline executives was awash with furious remarks on Thursday morning.
Ministers had promised bosses that they would be warned ahead of notable changes to its green list of countries.
When news leaked out that Portugal - one the few holiday hot spots on the Government s green list - would be moved to amber on Thursday, they were left gobsmacked.
Anyone returning from the country from Tuesday will be subject to greater restrictions, including being forced to quarantine at home for 10 days.
Easyjet chief executive Johan Lundgren (pictured) said the airline would now operate just 15 per cent of flights between April and June - down from the 20 per cent it had planned.
In another torrid year for the aviation industry, the coming month of May offers a little hope. The red-letter day in every UK airline executive’s diary is 17 May, from which international leisure travel from Britain may be permitted. This week, ministers may finally divulge where and when holidaymakers can go, with a “green list” of countries that can be visited without quarantine on return. The Department for Transport insists it is on track.