- The US plans to reopen to fully-vaccinated international travellers arriving by plane from November
- The new measures will apply to Schengen countries as well as Britain, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil
- Tourism officials in New York have welcomed the announcement, so too has the UK’s Foreign Minister Elizabeth Truss
- Shares in international airliners jumped following the news
Shares in airline companies took off on Monday following US plans to reopen to fully-vaccinated travellers arriving by plane from November.
The new measures will apply to 33 countries: Schengen nations as well as Britain, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil.
Tourism officials in New York were quick to welcome the move. In 2018, the city received 10.9 million international visitors.
The top five countries by visitor numbers that year were the UK, China, Canada, Brazil and France, all of which are to be included in the new rules.
During a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinkin, UK’s Foreign Minister Elizabeth Truss added her support to the decision.
“We welcome hugely the lifting of the travel ban, the ability of vaccinated UK citizens to travel to the United States, which will help our trade and our business relationships, but also families who want to travel across the Atlantic.”
Airlines take off
Following the news, airline shares gained altitude; the Dow Jones US Airlines index gained 1.54 per cent on Monday, despite the broader industrial average sinking 1.78 per cent in the session.
American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) gained 3.04 per cent, and Jet Blue (NASDAQ:JBLU) which opened its first New York-London route last month, added 1.91 per cent.