As a result of the decision to move Portugal to the safer list of countries to fly to, reservations on Swiss routes increased by more than 170 percent for flights to Portugal. easyJet operates seven routes between Switzerland and Portugal: three in Basel, three in Geneva and one in Zurich.

After Germany reported that it removed Portugal from its list of ‘countries with a high incidence of coronavirus mutations’, air travel between the two countries has also become possible since last week, allowing customers to make reservations with confidence.

José Lopes, director of easyJet for Portugal, said: “We have seen that as government restrictions are lifted, demand increases exponentially and this growth in reservations for Portugal demonstrates how anxious the Swiss are to travel, whether for leisure or to visit friends and family.

“Although the summer is still a while away, we work continuously to ensure that we are ready to increase our flights.

“The plan that is being implemented for the easing of lockdown in Portugal increases our visibility and confidence with the consumer. These measures are in line with what we have requested to be implemented across Europe. ”

A study carried out last month by the company gathered the responses of more than 5,000 consumers across Europe and showed that almost two thirds (65 percent) plan or have already booked a flight in 2021.