More countries are starting to require travellers to be able to prove they have received the booster Covid-19 jab. But the government has yet to say when this will be included on the NHS app, despite prime minister Boris Johnson insisting that it will happen.
MPs on the House of Commons transport committee raised this issue at a hearing on the recovery of aviation from the pandemic, alongside the fact that under-16s in the UK currently cannot prove their vaccination status.
Willie Walsh, director general of airlines association Iata, told the committee hearing that many countries currently required vaccine proof for travellers aged over 12.
“We have raised this issue with the government but not had any constructive response that leads us to conclude that this issue will be addressed,” said Walsh. “This will become more of a problem going forward.
“People are discouraged from travel because they are worried about hassle and being turned away because they have not got the vaccine required by the country they are going to.”
Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, added that UK airports were also “worried” about this issue, particularly those serving the ski market.
“As we move forward it could be a problem – certainly as airports, it’s something we are worried about,” she said.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, told MPs that the UK was now the only country in Europe that required a Covid test for fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the country.
He added the UK aviation sector was "lagging" behind the recovery seen in other European countries, which had "opened up a lot quicker than the UK".
Alderslade said that while the industry was now "in a much better place" than during the summer, there was still a "lot of uncertainty" about what was going to happen over the winter.
"The pent-up demand is enormous – we’ve seen that with the US and demand since 8 November [when the US reopened to international travellers]. Airlines are full to the brim but we don’t know if that will continue," added Alderslade.
