Fully vaccinated UK residents returning to England from amber-list countries will no longer be required to self-isolate from 19 July, the government has confirmed. Addressing parliament on 8 July, UK transport secretary Grant Shapps said that unvaccinated children under the age of 18 would also be exempt from quarantine on returning from amber-list countries from 19 July. The requirement to take a privately booked PCR test up to three days prior to departing an amber-list country will remain in place, as will the requirement to take another PCR test two days after returning to England. However, the requirement to take an additional test eight days after arriving will be dropped. The changes mean that the restrictions for green- and amber-list countries will "in essence" become "the same", says Shapps. As it stands, the new rules will only apply to travellers arriving in England. Decision-making "may differ" across the UK's devolved administrations, says Shapps. At first, the relaxed restrictions will only apply to UK residents who have been vaccinated in the UK. Shapps says the government is "working to extend" this to include double-jabbed arrivals who have been vaccinated in destinations including the USA and EU member states "later this summer". The government will also remove guidance stating that people should not travel to amber-list countries from 19 July. Passengers can prove their vaccination status by using the National Health Service app or by requesting a letter, says Shapps. Evidence that they have been fully vaccinated must be included on their passenger-locator form, which must be checked by the transport provider before departing from an amber-list country. No changes have been made to the restrictions that apply to arrivals from countries on the UK's red list, and they must still quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days at their own expense. Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade has welcomed the 8 July announcement, describing it as "a positive move towards the genuine reopening the sector has been looking for". He adds: "Opening up the market for the rest of the summer, this announcement will provide far greater opportunities to travel, do business and see family and friends, and enable many more of our customers to book with certainty."

Air France on 6 July took delivery of its 11th Airbus A350-900 aircraft at the Airbus delivery centre in Toulouse. The SkyTeam carrier says the aircraft, registered F-HTYJ and names Cannes, will be based at Paris Charles de Gaulle and deployed on long-haul routes. The airline notes that the aircraft consumes 25% less fuel than previous-generation aircraft as it uses 67% lighter materials – 53% composites and 14% titanium. Additionally, its noise footprint is reduced by 40%. The airline plans to acquire a total of 38 A350s by 2025 as part of its efforts to modernise its long-haul fleet. Air France says it will begin the renewal of its short- and medium-haul fleet in September, with the delivery of the first of the 60 Airbus A220s expected by the carrier.

Global demand for air freight increased 9.4% in May compared to pre-pandemic levels, IATA data shows. The increase marks a slight slowdown in the pace of growth compared with April, when demand rose 12% from the same month in 2019, IATA says. North American carriers contributed 4.6 percentage points to the demand increase, and airlines in all other regions apart from Latin America saw growth. Capacity remains 9.7% below that of May 2019, amid the ongoing grounding of passenger aircraft. The global load factor stood at 57.2% in May, with Asia-Pacific and Europe registering 64.6% and 65.6%, respectively. IATA also notes that the competitiveness of air freight compared to sea freight has improved, stating that it is now only six times more expensive than sea shipping, compared with 12 times more expensive before the Covid-19 crisis. Willie Walsh, IATA's director general, expects a shift in consumption from goods to services as economies unlock. "This could slow growth for cargo in general, but improved competitiveness compared to sea shipping should continue to make air cargo a bright spot for airlines while passenger demand struggles with continued border closures and travel restrictions," he states.