Airlines UK, the trade body representing carriers including British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair, has said Britain’s decision to add France, Malta and the Netherlands to its quarantine list is yet “another devastating blow” for the industry.
“It’s another devastating blow to the travel industry already reeling from the worst crisis in its history,” the organization said in a statement to CNN on Friday.
The UK announced on Thursday evening that people arriving from France, Malta and the Netherlands, as well as Aruba and the Turks and Caicos Islands were required to quarantine for 14 days from arrival from 4 a.m. local time Saturday (11 p.m. ET Friday).
Since easing lockdown restrictions, the UK has maintained a travel corridor with listed countries from which people can travel without having to quarantine, but the list has changed repeatedly as cases spike and fade globally. Thursday’s announcement followed rising coronavirus cases in countries across Europe.
Airlines UK urged the British government to consider a regional approach to quarantines as opposed to a national one, which affects people travelling from any part of an affected country, regardless of regional case rates.
The trade body said the UK’s “broad-brush, weekly ‘stop and go’ changes to travel corridors at a national level” were disruptive to airlines and passengers alike.
Airlines UK has also pushed for a testing regime to be implemented for arriving passengers, so that those testing negative can avoid having to self isolate.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also called for co-ordinated measures – it has warned already that 780,000 jobs are at risk in the UK due to the aviation shutdown.
“As we learn to live with Covid-19, a stop-go-stop approach to lifting restrictions cannot be the answer. Alternatives to crude nationwide quarantine requirements must be considered,” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA Regional Vice President for Europe.
France has said it will impose reciprocal quarantine measures on visitors from the UK.
Read more:
