Oil prices have surged to a seven-year high following Russia’s move to send tanks into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine following weeks of tensions on the border.

Elsewhere, British Airways has admitted it has struggled to deliver luggage to customers after the UK was buffeted by a series of fierce storms over the past week.

Here are the headlines the travel industry woke up to on Tuesday (22 February)

Putin sends tanks into Ukraine

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered troops and tanks into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine under the guise of “peacekeeping”, as he officially recognised the independence of the two areas from Ukraine. Western countries have condemned the move as a breach of international law, with the UK set to announce sanctions against Russia. (Various)

Oil price surges on supply fears over Ukraine

Oil prices are climbing on fears the Ukraine-Russia crisis will disrupt supply chains across the world. Crude oil prices reached a seven-year high of just under $100 a barrel with Russia set to face sanctions after sending troops in to eastern Ukraine. (Financial Times)

PM: Now it’s now over to you

Prime minister Boris Johnson has urged people to show “personal responsibility” as he announced that all legal Covid-19 restrictions in England would end on Thursday (24 February), including the requirement to self-isolate when testing positive for the virus. (Metro)

British Airways blames luggage delays on high winds

British Airways has blamed continuously high winds over the past few days for making it difficult to unload baggage from aircraft. The airline said stormy weather had made opening the luggage hold of aircraft challenging, and passengers had faced delays receiving their bags after landing. (BBC News)

Dubai Airports sees travel surge this year

The emirate’s main airport is expecting passenger traffic to double this year as the world emerges from the pandemic and borders reopen, but numbers are still unlikely to recover to pre-Covid levels until 2024. Dubai International airport is expected to cater for 57 million passengers in 2022. (Bloomberg)

Women now make up almost 40% of board seats on top UK firms

Nearly 40% of all board positions at the companies in the FTSE 100 index are now held by women – up from just 12.5% a decade ago, according to new figures. Although only 18 firms in the FTSE 350 are led by female chief executives. (Sky News)