The Week In Travel

EU member states have agreed a precautionary approach to the developing Covid-19 situation in China, where the high number of reported cases has raised fears of a new variant becoming globally dominant. Although the decision is not legally binding, it is likely that most member states will require travellers from China to take a pre-departure test. Germany has already confirmed that it will adhere to the recommendation.

The decision has not been universally welcomed, however. IATA, as well as ACI Europe, has criticised the recommendation, arguing that it is ‘at odds with the assessment published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on 3 January 2023’.

Data published this week by aviation analyst OAG has shown that Germany’s recovery in airline seat capacity continues to lag behind its major European competitors at the beginning of 2023. The 1.85 million scheduled seats during the first week of January are down by 27 per cent on January 2020’s capacity. OAG’s chief analyst John Grant suggested that Germany’s slow recovery from the pandemic can be attributed to continued caps on carrying capacity.

In Asian news, Korean Air has received approval from the Chinese government for a takeover of fellow South Korean carrier Asiana. The Chinese competition regulator was initially concerned over Korean’s disproportionate market share.

And finally, an American tourist has raised eyebrows after he expressed his bewilderment when telling the time in British train stations. After posting a TikTok about the ‘strange lines’ on the analogue clock faces at Paddington Station, commenters kindly advised him that the lines he was looking were in fact Roman numerals.