The research, carried out by specialist consultants Oxera and Edge Health, shows that governments are unable to use travel restrictions and testing quickly enough to limit the spread of new, more infectious variants.
MAG and Airlines UK have submitted the findings of the latest study to ministers ahead of the next review on international travel restrictions, which is due to take place during the next week.
The two organisations are calling for the government to scrap the remaining requirement for a post-arrival lateral flow test in the UK.
MAG chief executive Charlie Cornish said: “It is critical that travel policies are based on the best available analysis, and the latest findings from Oxera and Edge Health show conclusively that testing for international travel will not deliver significant benefits in managing the spread of new variants.
“The UK government has taken the step to remove domestic restrictions, and it should now apply this approach to international travel. We must allow the country’s worst-hit sector to resume its road to recovery.”
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, added: “Testing restrictions for the fully vaccinated make no sense at all given the delay in governments being able to detect and act on the arrival of a new variant, as we saw with Omicron.
“Not only do they fail to suppress the international spread of variants, they place a disproportionate burden on the travel sector and those that rely on the connectivity aviation provides.”
