The chief executives of several airlines operating in the UK
have written to prime minister Boris Johnson to urge him to lift “disproportionate”
travel restrictions introduced in response to the discovery of the Omicron
Covid-19 variant, saying the measures ‘severely damage the travel industry’.
The letter, published for the public to view by trade body
Airlines UK and signed by the heads of Tui UK and Ireland, Ryanair, easyJet,
Loganair, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Jet2, also requests an urgent
meeting with the prime minister to discuss the problems faced by the industry
due to the return of travel restrictions, including pre-departure and
on-arrival testing.
“Ten days ago, you rightly said that vaccines and boosters
remain our best line of defence against variants of Covid-19 and highlighted
the need for proportionate travel measures. It is increasingly likely that
Omicron will soon be the dominant variant in the UK, and the health secretary has
already said it is circulating in the UK independent of international travel,”
the letter states.
“Whilst we fully recognise the need to take steps to contain
the initial impact of the Omicron variant, travel has been singled out with the
introduction of disproportionate restrictions. Further, pre-departure and
upon-arrival testing clearly add very little value to our Covid protection, but
unnecessarily disrupt Christmas for families as well as businesses while
severely damaging the UK travel industry.”
Among the airlines’ requests is the removal of “all
emergency testing for fully vaccinated passengers” at the next formal review,
which is currently scheduled to take place on 20 December.
Bosses are also calling on the government to provide “bespoke
economic support” to “bridge the sector through this crisis”.
Furthermore, the letter slams the government for “precious
little action” to tackle the so-called “rip-off testing regime” where some providers
are charging up to £399 for a PCR test.
“We have also seen immediate problems with red list
arrivals, with many customers booking hotels which either were not ready or had
been double booked, requiring them to rebook and pay again,” the letter continues.
“Many people are stranded abroad through no fault of their own due to a policy
that cannot be executed properly.”
The government added several African countries to the red
list at the end of November, with more added earlier this month. The policy
requires all travellers – regardless of vaccination status – to book and pay for
11 nights in a quarantine hotel. However, media outlets have reported numerous
issues with the system including a shortage of available rooms, with returning
travellers forced to rebook flights in the hopes of a room becoming available.
The letter continues: “We and our customers feel sincerely
let down, having believed a more pragmatic, evidence-led approach to travel, in
line with the rest of the world, had been achieved and agreed by all concerned
just a few months ago. Instead, the layering of additional travel restrictions,
introduced at short notice without consultation or discernible strategy, have
disrupted Christmas plans and severely undermined customer sentiment just
before the crucial Christmas and New Year booking season ([when] up to 30 per cent of
tickets are sold).”
The call from airlines comes after figureheads representing
the business travel sector held a virtual meeting with government advisors to
lobby for more engagement with the industry in regard to restrictions and their
impact on businesses.