Tourism to restart? Here are the details of next year’s Wizz Air flights
Soon, you will be able to book tickets for the summer of 2022 as well.
Airlines are gearing up for the revival of tourism: we have already written about British Airways’ return to Budapest, Ryanair’s announcement of 4 new routes from the Hungarian capital, and Air France’s summer schedule, including 14 flights per week from Budapest to Paris. Wizz Air is not an exception: they are planning to operate at 60-80% capacity this summer but could ramp it up to 100%, if necessary, said chief executive József Váradi at a conference which we covered in this article.
Wizz Air might not have announced any new routes from Hungary for 2021, but they have thought of those who are itching to book a flight but cannot (or do not want to) travel this year.
As vg.hu writes, Wizz Air has recently published their 2022 summer schedule. In their press release, they highlight that those travelling from Hungary to Greece or vice versa will have an easy time: the airline will offer flights from Budapest to 9 Greek destinations in total, including Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and the new addition, Chania in Crete. (Greece could also become even more popular among Hungarian travellers as they have announced that they will accept all types of vaccinations.) Flights to and from Portugal and Malta are also included in the schedule, while those who would prefer to discover Northern Europe will get to choose between Stockholm, Malmö, Göteborg, and Reykjavík. The Icelandic capital will be connected to Budapest by two flights every week.
According to travelo.hu, tickets for next summer’s flights will be available from 22 May, except for Wizz Discount Club members, who already have access to them. In their press release, Wizz Air also said that
they will place great emphasis on protecting the health of their passengers and crew by using an effective in-flight air circulation system
in addition to the compulsory safety measures and on-board protocol. Despite the financial difficulties of the past year, they wish to provide an opportunity for everyone to travel at an affordable price.
Read alsoWhere to travel with the Hungarian immunity certificate?
Where to travel with the Hungarian immunity certificate?
More and more countries have announced that those possessing the holy plastic card will be able to cross their borders without restrictions. Still, there is no unilateral decision among European Union member states, let alone among the majority of the world’s countries on what measures will actually be implemented.
Even though a Hungarian decree issued at the end of April stated that those who have been vaccinated will be able to travel freely, in reality, this is hardly the case. Especially if we talk about foreign countries.
The European Parliament made a decision last week:
only those who were vaccinated with a jab approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will be entitled to certain easements when it comes to international travel.
The Chinese Sinophram and the Russian Sputnik V, the vaccines that are majorly used in Hungary, did not make the list. Nevertheless, the EMA has been investigating the Chinese jab, so the declaration of PM Viktor Orbán saying that this serum will be approved soon and used for travel this summer might come true in the near future.
When it comes to the immunity certificate and how to travel to Hungary’s neighbouring countries, here is a very detailed article containing all the information you need to know.
How to travel to Hungary’s neighbouring countries this summer
On the other hand, some important novelties came to life since then. Apart from Serbia, Slovenia, and Montenegro,
Bahrein also signed a bilateral agreement with Hungary, accepting one another’s immunity certificates.
This bilateral agreement will be key, and probably the only way for a while, to fight the issue of which vaccines accepted by the EU will be also accepted by individual countries.
There is another major issue with the plastic card, regarding travelling abroad. The reception date of the second jab is not included on the immunity certificate, not even when the QR code is scanned. This can cause quite a problem at the borders, since
Greece, for instance, does accept all vaccines used in Hungary, BUT only 2 weeks after receiving the second jab.
Hvg.hu asked the consular centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade regarding this inconvenience. Even they said that the police in another country will not understand the Hungarian plastic card, the policeman either accepts it or not. For this reason,
they advise everyone to also take the documentation received together with the second vaccine when travelling abroad since this paper does contain the actual date of inoculation.
Truth be told, it is also in Hungarian, but as the consular centre said, it will “probably” be accepted.
On a more positive note, Hungary is currently conducting negotiations with Israel and Greece to set up the aforementioned bilateral agreement.
As of today, Israel is taking the situation and all measures very seriously. Entering the country right now is only possible in certain situations and under strict circumstances. The approval of the Migration Office of Israel and a PCR test taken 72 hours prior to the travel are both needed. Right now, the Hungarian immunity certificate or a document proving that you suffered through covid do not absolve you from taking the tests. The 14-day-long quarantine can only be shortened with a test taken in Israel.
Those inoculated with both doses of a vaccine accepted by the EU can travel to Poland without restrictions.
The plastic card needs to contain the type of vaccine and the dates of both inoculations. Moreover, it needs to contain the stamp of the doctor who inoculated you, and most importantly, the documentation needs to be written either in English or in Polish. None of these conditions is met by the Hungarian immunity certificate or the document proving the vaccination.
We should forget about Germany for now, as no travel for touristic purposes is allowed, and you would need to register your trip in advance anyway.
Italy, as of today, does not give any easement to those with an immunity certificate. Nevertheless, this might very easily change on May 15 since the country desperately needs tourism.
The most exciting, breaking news is probably from Croatia, which we also reported yesterday.
Those who have a Hungarian immunity certificate will be able to travel to Croatia, free of restrictions.
The rule does not only apply to Hungarian citizens but to anyone who was inoculated in Hungary and thus has a plastic card issued by the country. The agreement is said to enter into force already this week.
Flexibility will definitely be the most important adjective describing this summer, as new restrictions, easements, and decisions are announced every single week.
Read alsoRules on Hungarian immunity certificate have changed!
Virus-free Greek ‘secluded paradise’ waits for tourists to return
Alekos Sfyriou untangles his fishing line and counts the days until ferries bring visitors back to his sleepy Greek isle.
“All the small islands are waiting for tourists,” the 62-year-old fisherman says, slouched beneath a tree on the harbour. “They’ll eat the fish I catch.”
There have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on Halki, a tiny island closer to Turkey than Athens, where the only sound piercing a quiet April morning was the crowing of a rooster.
Nearly all of its 250 residents have been vaccinated against the virus, local authorities said, anticipating a resurgence of tourism, the economy’s lifeblood.
Residents on many far-flung islands scattered across the Aegean Sea, where populations are old and doctors scarce, have been inoculated as Greece rolls out vaccinations to islands with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants ahead of a formal opening of the tourism season on May 15.
“Greece is thinking big by vaccinating the small islands first, to make these secluded paradises safe,” said George Hatzimarkos, the governor of Greece’s most popular region, the south Aegean.
On Halki, with its postcard-perfect seafront town of pastel-coloured homes, a tourism season of six to eight months helps it get through the rough winter, Mayor Angelos Fragkakis said.
“Essentially, it’s our oxygen,” he said.
Despite the worst tourism year in decades for Greece in 2020, Halki enjoyed a good season with many Greeks choosing small island getaways.
But this year, as the number of new infections continues to rise, no one can say how the summer will unfold. Locals fear that without tourists, Halki’s handful of cafes and tavernas will struggle.
Yorgos Fragkakis, a retired seaman and the mayor’s father, said he could not recall such a testing time in his 74 years.
“We were stuck at home … We couldn’t even see the children because we weren’t vaccinated,” he said, referring to his granddaughters whom he took for a stroll.
“Now we feel relatively safe. I don’t know how long this will last… seeing my grandchildren,” he said.
In March, an army unit was brought in to assist with the vaccination task. Ageing residents were driven in a donated golf car up the steep and narrow cobbled streets leading to the health centre, which has one doctor.
“At first, there was some hesitation,” said Nikos Stogiannis, a nurse. “Then they discussed it amongst themselves and said, ‘come on, let’s get vaccinated.'”
Fragkakis said vaccines were “a godsend” for Halki but even before then, locals practiced social distancing and wore masks.
“If the virus came to us, we would have many problems.”
Read alsoGreece opens to tourists
Record defence deal signed between Israel and Greece
Israel and Greece have signed their biggest ever defence procurement deal, which Israel said on Sunday would strengthen political and economic ties between the countries and the two countries’ air forces launched a joint exercise.
The agreement includes a $1.65 billion contract for the establishment and operation of a training centre for the Hellenic Air Force by Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems over a 22-year period, Israel’s defence ministry said.
The training centre will be modeled on Israel’s own flight academy and will be equipped with 10 M-346 training aircraft produced by Italian company Leonardo, the ministry said.
Elbit will supply kits to upgrade and operate Greece’s T-6 aircraft and also provide training, simulators and logistical support.
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“I am certain that (this programme) will upgrade the capabilities and strengthen the economies of Israel and Greece and thus the partnership between our two countries will deepen on the defence, economic and political levels,” said Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz.
The announcement follows a meeting in Cyprus on Friday between the UAE, Greek, Cypriot and Israeli foreign ministers, who agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries.
The Israeli and Greek air forces launched a joint exercise in Greece, the Israeli military said.
In at least one past exercise over Greece, Israeli fighter planes practiced against an S-300 posted on Crete. The Russian-made air defence system is also deployed in Syria and Iran, Israel’s foes. An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately respond to a Reuters query on whether the air force had again trained against the Greek S-300 in the latest exercise.
