MADRID, March 16 — Ryanair said today it will offer 200 additional flights between Germany and Spain during Easter, a period when travel between Spanish regions will be banned to battle the coranavirus.

The Irish no-frills carrier will boost its capacity by nearly 40,000 seats on flights from 14 German airports to two Spanish seaside destinations—Alicante and Palma de Mallorca from March 28 until mid-April, it said in a statement.

The announcement comes after German flag carrier Lufthansa said Friday it would double the number of its flights between Germany and Spain during Easter to meet a surge in demand, with three times more flights for example between Frankfurt and Palma, the capital of the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.

The island has long been a popular vacation destination for German tourists, with many of them owning a second home there.

The rise in flights comes as Germany is bracing for a third Covid-19 wave, with authorities saying infections could reach an all-time high by mid-April due to the British variant of the virus.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Germans to refrain from "non-essential” travel but bookings to sunshine destinations have soared.

Easter is traditionally a peak travel period in Spain but the government has imposed a ban on travel between regions to prevent people from heading to their holiday homes on the coast or visit family.

Spain saw a huge spike in coronavirus infections in January after travel restrictions were eased over Christmas to allow families to get together but this third wave of infections has since receded.

Foreign tourists can continue to arrive at Spanish airports however, as long as they provide proof of a negative PCR test for coronavirus carried out within 72 hours of their arrival. — AFP