The national carrier RwandAir has announced it will continue operating flights to and from the United Kingdom even after the latter imposed a second nationwide lockdown that started Thursday, November 5. The airline said it will keep an eye on the situation, which might affect its schedules in Europe. RwandAir operates two flights a week to the United Kingdom. “We would like to reassure our customers that we are still operating flights from and to London via Brussels as we continue to monitor the situation and assess any possible impact to our flight schedule,” RwandAir said in a statement. The UK entered a month-long lockdown on Thursday, November 5 as the country hurried to tame record infections of Covid-19 while Belgium is under national lockdown since November 2. Both countries decided to keep their borders open but some airlines have cancelled flights due to lower demand. However, RwandAir announced it will allow passengers holding tickets to or from London or Brussels to change their travel dates free of charge. The national flag carrier resumed weekly flights to the European capitals early last month after nearly seven months of all commercial flights on halt. The airline also switched airports for the busier Heathrow International Airport from Gatwick, in an effort its Chief Executive Yvonne Makolo said would make it easy for clients to connect to more international destinations. Heathrow is among the 10 busiest airports in the world. Possible disruptions In addition to Belgium and the UK, France, Ireland and Germany have also declared a second lockdown, after the second wave of the coronavirus that has seen most European countries report a surge in cases. Although no country is yet to close its borders, several airlines have halted flights within Europe, disrupting travel plans of many passengers. The upsurge in coronavirus cases in Europe is likely to force other countries to tighten travel restrictions, despite reopening a few months back after total lockdowns that characterized the first months of the year. China, for instance, has put a ban on non-Chinese passengers from the UK, France and Belgium. Until Thursday, Europe had registered more than 11 million coronavirus infections, according to a tally by French news agency AFP, and over 280,000 related deaths.
