More than 4,500 pilots wrote to prime minister Boris Johnson and urged "essential" action to boost the UK aviation industry’s recovery following a "damaging" two-year shutdown.
 

Following confirmation that testing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers will be dropped, Balpa called for a dedicated recovery plan and for the government to acknowledge that border restrictions "do not stop the spread of Covid".

The call has been backed by Henry Smith MP, chair of APPG for the Future of Aviation.

The association said the recovery plan "must include a return to pre-Covid ease of travel, as there remains a huge barrier to confidence in international travel, and border controls are not effective in preventing transmission".

Balpa general secretary Martin Chalk urged Sajid Javid and the UK government to "acknowledge what the World Health Organization already knows – travel restrictions kill confidence in travel but do not stop the spread of disease".

"Public confidence in travel is low, and we cannot have a repeat of rapidly and regularly changing rules, confusing and scaring the public into not travelling," he added.
 

"Our world-class aviation sector cannot survive any longer without a clear way out of this crisis. This must include the publication of an Aviation Recovery Plan to turbo-charge our recovery."