Reactions to announcement on International Travel - July 8

BALPA

In response to the announcement by Grant Shapps , Secretary of State for Transport:

BALPA Acting General Secretary Brian Strutton said: “This is a good step towards the goal of safely opening up international travel, but there is still a long way to go. The Government needs to ensure safe countries make it in on to the green list and must do all it can to rebuild public confidence. The airline industry was the first in to the crisis and will be the last out. We need a sector specific financial package and an extension of furlough to stop skills being lost forever.”

CBI

Matthew Fell, CBI Chief UK Policy Director, said:

“The end of quarantine for fully vaccinated journeys between amber list countries is hugely welcome news for the international travel sector, which has suffered more than most during the pandemic. It is now imperative that business and government work together to rebuild confidence and restore demand as we establish new travel norms while living with the virus.

“For operators, clear guidance on how new rules will work are essential to enable the sector to salvage part of the summer season.

“A truly risk-based approach to the government’s traffic light system with the aim of aim of adding to the green list countries as soon as possible, alongside reducing passenger testing requirements and greater transparency, will also be crucial if the sector is to bounce back and support the UK’s wider economic recovery.”

Reacting to the Secretary of State’s announcement today on changes to rules for international travel, the Chair of the Transport Committee, Huw Merriman MP, said

“This is a much-needed shot in the arm for those who've had two shots of the vaccine in their arm and for an industry and workforce who have been laid low during the pandemic. More than 34 million UK residents have received both jabs. As the numbers continue to go up, it’s a relief to hear that they will be able to enjoy quarantine-free travel to amber list destinations. Now is the time to take advantage of the UK’s vaccination dividend and reopen international travel in a controlled, safe manner.

“Lifting quarantine makes it easier to absorb international travel into our summer plans. The Government should now work to tackle other barriers to travel, especially by establishing an affordable testing regime and ensuring that border-force resourcing is in place to get people through airports efficiently and safely.

“The covid-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the UK aviation and travel sectors. The industry and its workforce have remained steadfast in their belief that international travel can be restarted safely. Whilst the Government must not underestimate the trials ahead for the industry as it starts its recovery, I welcome this much-needed lifeline that will help support many thousands of jobs and livelihoods.

“It’s important that the Government does not rest on its laurels. Green and amber categorisation remains critical for young families where most parents will not have received both doses of the vaccine until late summer. For those families it is vital that we continue to ensure more low risk countries are categorised green so they can benefit from the same freedoms.

“As the Transport Committee recommended in our June 2020 report on aviation, we must look to a common set of international health standards for travellers to enable us to set off and return safely, whatever our purpose in travelling.”

UNITE

Unite, the UK’s principal aviation union, has warned that the government’s announcement today (Thursday 8 July) that people who have been double vaccinated will no longer have to quarantine when they return from an amber list country, will not lead to the aviation sector immediately returning to normality.

Unite is also highlighting that while quarantine rules are being lifted for double vaccinated people returning to the UK, the ability of passengers to travel is still restricted depending on the rules in the country of destination.

Unite assistant general secretary Diana Holland said: “Unite welcomes the lifting of mandatory quarantine for amber list countries, but continuing restrictions on travel for UK passengers highlights more than ever the need for sectorial support.

“It is essential that the government swiftly moves to protect aviation workers so that when normal travel returns, the sector can quickly rebuild.

“A failure to do so will result in the UK aviation industry losing out to other European countries, who are already committed to providing long-term support to their aviation sectors.

“The government’s continuing failure to provide sector specific support, including extending the furlough scheme to at least next spring, is causing widespread anxiety to all workers in the sector who fear for their futures.”

Unite national officer for aviation Oliver Richardson said: “Whilst it is a positive move to largely remove the quarantine rules for amber list countries, it remains unclear as to why this approach wasn’t adopted earlier, which would have allowed the industry to properly plan for an increase in demand.

“The lifting of restrictions on quarantine for countries with lower infection rates is welcome, however the significant increase in rates in the UK means that many countries are taking a cautious approach to UK visitors.

“Now that the UK has left the EU there is no unified or consistent approach as to how travellers are categorised and there are a multitude of restrictions. This is both confusing to deal with and complicated to navigate.”