TUI saw a strong uplift in summer 2021 bookings in the three months to the end of June, but mainly from continental Europe.

As a result, it will operate 60% of its peak summer capacity, but significantly less from the UK, it revealed.

Some 4.2m customers have booked to travel with TUI this summer – mainly to the Balearics, the Canaries and Greece –  up 1.5m since its first-quarter update.

But the recent uptick in bookings has been stronger in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland than in the UK, said TUI.

“Germany and continental European markets show high demand. In England this will only be reflected in the fourth quarter (July-Sept). Business is coming back,” said CEO Fritz Joussen.

Bookings for the whole of the TUI group are still down 68% on summer 2019, but the average selling price for the three months to the end of June was up 6%.

Nevertheless, the group made another hefty loss of €670m during the third quarter, which amounted to around €7m a day.

Demand for winter long-haul holidays is strong, it said, and summer 2022 bookings are up 120% on pre-COVID levels, but these include re-bookings.