IAG and Easyjet lead fall in travel shares as Spain and Portugal introduce quarantine for unvaccinated Brits
Airline stocks including BA owner IAG, Easyjet, and Ryanair all tumbled today as more European countries imposed travel restrictions on UK holidaymakers.
FTSE 100 IAG was down 5.8 per cent by the mid afternoon, while budget carrier Easyjet also dropped 5.0 per cent.
Fellow blue-chip Rolls-Royce, which makes the engines used by most commercial jets, also fell 4.6 per cent.
Hungarian flier Wizz Air shed 4.7 per cent, while Irish carrier Ryanair fell 3.8 per cent.
Holiday firms Tui and Jet2 also dropped 5.1 and 5.2 per cent respectively as Spain and Portugal both said that Brits would have to prove they were fully vaccinated to avoid quarantine.
The decision came just days after transport secretary Grant Shapps added the Balearic islands of Mallorca and Ibiza to the UK’s travel “green list”.
It brings the Iberian countries in line with a number of other European countries which have also imposed mandatory quarantine for unvaccinated Brits.
German chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a standard approach to UK holidaymakers across the EU due to fears over the spread of the Delta variant.
At first it seemed like Spain might resist, but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez today announced that the new measures would come into effect within 72 hours.
Brits who have not yet been fully vaccinated will also be able to show a negative PCR test.