British regional airline Flybe on Saturday ceased trading for the second time in three years, with all flights cancelled and 276 workers made redundant.

Wizz Air is upbeat on summer demand for travel but more cautious than its competitors, forecasting a return to profit in its 2023-2024 financial year, helped by strong bookings, new capacity and the benefits of hedging fuel costs.

EasyJet (EZJ.L) on Wednesday said it expected to beat current market expectations for 2023 based on the strength of bookings into summer and was set to deliver a return to full-year profit as the sector recovers from pandemic restrictions.

Low-cost carrier Ryanair is not seeing any signs of recession, Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary said on Tuesday, pointing to two weeks of record bookings this January and a recovery in demand from Britain.

European shares were subdued on Wednesday, while UK's FTSE 100 outpaced peers after a long Christmas holiday weekend as investors assessed Beijing's steps towards reopening its COVID-battered economy.

European shares fell for the fifth straight session on Thursday, bogged down by weakness in telecom and real estate sectors amid growing fears of an impending recession.

European workers squeezed by the soaring cost of living went on strike in Belgium and Greece on Wednesday, with stoppages threatening to paralyse parts of Britain, France and Spain in coming days.

Ryanair on Monday posted its largest ever after-tax profit for its key summer season and said it expected very strong passenger and fare growth for years to come as customers switch from higher-cost rivals.

European shares rose on Monday, reversing declines from the opening bell, as a jump in travel stocks helped outweigh a drag from China-exposed luxury giants.

Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday he was not daunted by the scale of the challenge as he became Britain's third prime minister in two months, pledging to restore trust, rebuild confidence and lead the country through an economic crisis.

Prime Minister Liz Truss apologised for threatening Britain's economic stability after she was forced to scrap her vast tax-cutting plans and embark on a programme of "eye-watering" public spending cuts instead.

British Airways-owner IAG, Europe's biggest airline Ryanair and rival easyJet said demand for travel was holding up, calming worries that pressure on household budgets could stall aviation's recovery from the pandemic.

Ryanair has not seen any impact on bookings in the United Kingdom in the wake of the recent fall in the value of the pound and increase in domestic mortgage rates, but the market is likely to be challenging, a senior executive said.

Around 1,000 flights to and from France were cancelled Friday as the country's air traffic controllers went on strike, with their action also causing delays across European airspace.

European stocks rose 2% on Friday, clocking gains for the first time in six days after key U.S.

The temporary disruption at London's Luton Airport on Monday when soaring temperatures caused a small section of the asphalt to lift is an example of the challenges airports face in making their infrastructure resilient to climate change, experts say.

Wage talks between Scandinavian airline SAS and its pilots collapsed on Monday, triggering a strike that puts the future of the carrier at risk and adds to travel chaos across Europe as the peak summer vacation period begins.

Britain's heavy-handed approach to industrial relations has backfired as employees reject its "nonsense" demands for pay restraint and increasingly join unions, the head of the country's biggest trade union umbrella group said.

Greenwashed ads present confusing or misleading claims that lack concrete information about the actual environmental impacts of whatever's being advertised.

Britain, like much of Europe, is suffering from rocketing inflation and stagnant economic growth, raising the prospect of a summer of strikes across the continent.

Some cabin crew at Ryanair went on strike in Belgium, Spain and Portugal on Friday in a dispute over pay and working conditions, causing limited disruption as the budget airline cancelled dozens of flights that left hundreds of passengers stranded.

Trade unions representing Ryanair cabin crew in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain have called for strikes this coming weekend, while easyJet's operations in Spain face a nine-day strike next month.

Strike forces cancellation of all Brussels flights

The CEO of Europe's biggest airline also dismissed threats of summer strike action by what he called "Mickey Mouse" unions in Belgium and Spain covering some Ryanair workers.

The strike would come as summer holidays get underway in European countries and a recovery in air travel following the lifting of most Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Labour strife and staffing shortages have European airports clamouring to find more workers, minimize cancelled flights and reduce headaches for travellers during the busy summer season.

Ryanair is requiring South African passengers to prove their nationality before travelling by completing a test in Afrikaans, a language used by just 12% of the population that has long been identified with apartheid and the white minority.

The airline industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic. Flights were grounded by lockdowns and travel restrictions.Carriers and airports laid off thousands of employees.

He said that the airline, which flies mainly throughout Europe and to north Africa, had 65 737 MAX aircraft, which use 40 percent less kerosene.

The carrier booked an underlying, or operating loss of 5.5 billion euros ($6.2 billion) in 2020 and turned to the state for support.