Scotland currently bars private providers from offering test services to returning travellers, forcing them to pay “considerably more”, according to trade body Airlines UK.

In a letter to Nicola Sturgeon, Airlines UK and the chiefs of Edinburgh airport, easyJet, Tui, Loganair and others urge the Scottish government to allow private providers.

The letter said: “Many of those providers in England are offering tests starting from as little as £25, compared to the single testing package for passengers arriving in Scotland from amber countries, which is £170 per person and £88 per person for those arriving from green listed countries.”

The letter urged Sturgeon to rethink “no later than by the end of July”.

It said: “This lack of parity with England will continue to price many people out of travelling and will be a very real barrier to airports and airlines as we try to safely re-establish our connectivity. 

“We urgently need the government to review its guidelines and introduce an equitable testing system as soon as possible.”