EasyJet boss claims full planes are 100% safe to resume flights

EasyJet boss Johan Lundgren told Press Association that full flights on the airline's jets, which were set to ramp up as lockdown measures ease for the summer season, were 100% safe.

Lundgren said the airline had followed international guidelines to step up hygiene ahead of a resumption of services on Monday.

Passengers and crew will be forced to wear masks and planes will be deep-cleaned often.

And contrary to some observers' advice that middle seats should remain empty as a further safety measure, passengers did not need to sit two metres apart.

"That was a proposal early on from one of the regulators," Lundgren told the BBC.

"But the recommendations that have come out from international authorities [...] which are also supported by the different local regulators do not include social distancing measures on board the aircraft."

EasyJet is currently flying to a limited number of mainly domestic destinations but will begin to offer more routes from 1 July.

Lundgren said the airline would offer about 300 flights this week, across 22 European airports.

"I don't think people will travel to the same extent as if the quarantine was removed - we saw that in other countries where quarantines were put in place in the early phases of the crisis, there were hardly any bookings at all."

EasyJet is planning to increase its capacity to 75% of pre-quarantine levels in August.