Airlines have spelt out their hopes for the government’s 31 July review of the UK’s current travel rules in a letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps.
Pressure group Airlines UK has written to Shapps with a blueprint for change ahead of the announcement.
The letter said the government had failed to restart the industry, putting many jobs at risk: “In Europe, passenger bookings recovered to 50% of pre-crisis levels in June, compared to just 16% here in the UK.
"Demand to the UK from the US remains only around 20% of 2019 levels, whereas to the EU it is around 65%.”
The letter said the situation was “not surprising” due to how the traffic light system was implemented.
“The decision to remove Portugal from the green list, closely followed by the Balearics, with both changes being made less than a month after initial inclusion on the green list, has brought travel purchasing back to the same fraught position as last year.”
It added: “The impact of the France decision cannot be under-estimated, with the risks – even if fully jabbed – associated with travelling to amber countries (and being forced to self-isolate and pay for more expensive tests on return to the UK) now paramount in people’s minds.”
Airlines UK said the system could be adjusted to allow the fully vaccinated to travel “without restriction”, alongside steps to reduce current restrictions for green and amber categories.
It called for:
Airlines UK also called for targeted economic support, including: