The UK industry will stagnate until people can fly freely again, Holland-Kaye warned on Monday (11 May), after Boris Johnson set out a new two-week mandatory quarantine for arrivals into the UK, which is due to come into operation over the coming weeks.

Senior figures in the travel and tourism sector, in particular aviation, fear the measures will delay the sector’s recovery, and further impact on consumer and traveller confidence.

Holland-Kaye said it was vital the government made good on its promise to provide a roadmap to guide the UK, and the economy, through the unprecedented health crisis.

"Aviation is the lifeblood of this country’s economy, and until we get Britain flying again, UK business will be stuck in third gear," he said.

"The government needs to urgently lay out a roadmap for how they will reopen borders once the disease has been beaten, and to take an immediate lead agreeing a common international standard for health in aviation that will allow passengers who don’t have the infection to travel freely."

Heathrow confirmed on Monday a 97% slump in passenger numbers in April, and said it expected demand "to remain weak" until governments lift lockdowns.

"The airport supports [the] government’s aim of avoiding a second wave of infection, even though the 14-day quarantine plan will effectively close borders temporarily.

"It is likely that few passenger flights will operate and even fewer people will travel until the quarantine is lifted. Without long-haul passenger flights, there will be very limited trade as 40% of UK exports and inward supply chain travels in the cargo holds of passenger planes from Heathrow. Until people can fly freely again, industries in all corners of the country will remain stagnant."

Following the announcement of the UK’s quarantine measures on Sunday (10 May), Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (Bar UK), said: "The restart and recovery of aviation is an essential component in getting the UK economy moving again.

"Flying can only recommence in any meaningful way once the 14-day self-isolation requirement is superseded by a carefully coordinated and internationally harmonised approach, incorporating a series of multi-layered and more effective measures that better target and mitigate risk, and provide the confidence that flying is safe."

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, the trade body for UK registered airlines, added: "Public health must of course be the priority, and we respect the advice. We all need to adapt to the new normal, but closing off air travel in this way is not the way to achieve this.

"Ministers are effectively telling people they can no longer travel for the foreseeable future and airlines will respond to that by grounding their operations – that is why they require urgent additional government support to get through this growing crisis."

Airlines UK wants the government to work on a package of cross-industry measures, including extending the furlough scheme until October; and allowing airlines to defer Air Passenger Duty payments, as well as air traffic control and Civil Aviation Authority charges.