Travellers had to endure queues of up to three hours in some of the UK’s major airports over the bank holiday weekend.

New Zealand finally reopened its border to international travellers for the first time in more than two years. Meanwhile, temperatures are set to soar in the UK this week and could be higher than in some of Europe’s leading hotspots.

Here are the headlines that the travel industry woke up to on Tuesday (3 May).

Qantas in Airbus order for non-stop London route

Australian airline Qantas has ordered 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft which will be used to launch the first non-stop flights between London and Sydney. The first services are likely to take off in 2025 and journeys will take around 19 hours. (Financial Times)

Airport delays over bank holiday as travellers face three-hour queues

Travellers reported lengthy waits of up to three hours at Manchester, Birmingham and Stansted airports over the bank holiday weekend as airlines continue to struggle with a lack of staff. (Mirror/Daily Mail)

Emotional reunions as New Zealand reopens to tourists

New Zealand has finally reopened its borders to international visitors after a pandemic lockout of more than two years. People from more than 60 countries, including the UK, are now able to enter the country if they are vaccinated and test negative for Covid-19. (BBC News)

Fears of global economic slowdown

Fears about the health of the global economy have mounted after disappointing data from Europe, China and the US fuelled concern that surging inflation, disrupted supply chains and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to a prolonged global slowdown. (The Times)

We’re ‘Med’ for it

The UK is set to be hotter than the European holiday destinations of Crete, Ibiza and Saint-Tropez this week with temperatures across the country set to rise to up to 23C. (Daily Star)