Mounting fears over Ebola and the UK’s own preparations to fight the deadly virus have seen travel industry share prices tumble.
This week Heathrow became the first UK airport to introduce passenger screening for those flying into the UK from countries most at risk of the disease, including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Passenger checks are also set to be extended to both Gatwick and Eurostar terminals next week.
Meanwhile, as news of the virus dominated the headlines, shares in tour operators, airlines and cruise lines fell.
In the space of a week Thomas Cook’s price slumped 13.8% to 103p, easyJet fell 8.7% to 1340p and Carnival UK dropped 13.6% to 2155p.
Douglas McNeill, investment director at Charles Stanley, admitted that growing fears about the disease were impacting share prices, although he added that Germany cutting its growth forecast for the year had also prompted fears of a recession.
“It’s not all Ebola, but Ebola is certainly a factor in the mix,” he said. “One of the factors… is that Spain [the first place outside Africa where someone has contracted the disease] features heavily in the media.”
McNeill added it was difficult to say how long the situation would last.
“It’s impossible to say - Sars is not a bad benchmark, that came and went in six months.”
