Dnata Travel chief slams govt's 'indecision' around travel

Bevan’s comments come after reports in the Telegraph this morning that the government is ready to ditch bilateral air bridge agreements with countries with lower rates of coronavirus infection in favour of broader quarantine exemptions.

“If they’re accurate, today’s reports about an exemption list of safe destinations to which Brits can travel to and from without the need to quarantine are sure to be welcomed by our customers and agent partners, who have been telling us they’re ready to start booking again for some time,” said Bevan.

“But while we’re ready to help them make those bookings, the whole issue remains shrouded in confusion and poor communication.

“How many of the destinations on this list will welcome Brits, for example, given our own infection rates? How do we reassure thousands of customers looking to travel later this year that their holidays are safe if we don’t know restrictions could be re-imposed?

“It is yet another indication that this government really doesn’t understand the travel industry. Every day of indecision causes further damage, leading to more strain on already beleaguered businesses, job insecurity and the erosion of trust.

“Although this development means we can hopefully now start to rebuild in earnest, our industry will need a lot of further support if it is to fully recover and be the engine of growth that it was prior to the pandemic.”