Campaign Business Media Brand of the Year 2020
Travel Media Awards Trade Publication of the Year 2020 - Print & Online
'Quarantine would be devastating for UK aviation industry and the wider economy'
A 14 day quarantine period would have a "devastating impact on both the UK aviation industry, but also on the wider economy".
That was the warning from Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association.
In a statement commenting on speculation of the possible two-week quarantine for arriving passengers into the UK, Dee said: "Aviation is an enabler for many other industries, such as manufacturers, tourism and the hospitality industry.
"If the government believes quarantine is medically necessary, then it should be applied on a selective basis following the science, there should be a clear exit strategy and the economic impact on key sectors should be mitigated.
"The government should commit to a weekly review of the quarantine measures and publish the evidence that informs the review’s outcome. This will provide confidence to consumers and businesses that the impact will be limited but also that it will be safe to travel again once the measure is lifted again.
"Airports have done their utmost to stay open through this crisis to provide vital services to communities – from facilitating freight and repatriations to air ambulance, police, Royal Mail and HM Coastguard services – but cannot survive a further protracted period without passengers that would be the result of quarantine measures.
"If quarantine is a necessary tool for fighting Covid-19, then the government should act decisively to protect the hundreds of thousands of airport-related and travel-related jobs across the UK.
"These measures should include granting immediate business rates relief to airports and related service providers as well as relief from Civil Aviation Authority charges for the whole aviation sector.
"They should also commit to extending the Job Retention Scheme beyond the end of the quarantine measures with a tapered ending linked to aviation’s recovery and stand ready with liquidity support beyond current lending and financing schemes."
What do you think of the 14 day quarantine period? Is it too late to implement such a policy? And how damaging could it be for the sector?
Sophie Griffiths
Latest issue
Recommended For You
Competitions
Our Next Events
TTG Digital Destinations Festival
TTG Luxury Virtual Luxpo
