Airlines Push Back Against UK's International Travel Framework

The United Kingdom plans to restart international travel as soon as May 17 potentially with the help of a new traffic light system that would color code destinations around the world based on their COVID-19 risk level.

According to the BBC, passengers traveling to "green" countries will not need to quarantine upon return but must take a pre-departure PCR test in addition to a test upon return while visitors to "amber" destinations will need to quarantine for 10 days, take a pre-departure test and two PCR tests upon return. Finally, travelers to "red" countries will be required to pay for a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel, take a pre-departure test and two PCR tests upon return.

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The pricey PCR tests—each test costs about £120 or $165—and challenging quarantine requirements have been met with criticism from the travel industry, including several major airlines.

"This does not represent a reopening of travel as promised by Ministers, and the insistence on expensive and unnecessary PCR testing rather than rapid testing—even for low-risk countries—will pose an unsustainable burden on passengers, making travel unviable and unaffordable for many people," said Airlines UK CEO Tim Alderslade, whose group represents carriers such as British Airways, EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic. "It is also a further setback for an industry on its knees and the U.K.'s wider economic recovery, with many businesses and exporters reliant upon our domestic and international connectivity and a thriving aviation sector."

"All the evidence suggests you can reopen travel safely and in a risk-based manner with more proportionate measures, and we urge the government to work with industry on a faster, cheaper and less complex solution," he concluded.

"This risks reversing the clock and making flying only for the wealthy," EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren added in a statement of his own. "It is hugely frustrating that the task force has not delivered what the Prime Minister said they should achieve in making this flexible and affordable."

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the framework will allow for a safe and sustainable resumption of travel. "The framework announced today will help allow us to reopen travel safely and sustainably, ensure we protect our hard-won achievements on the vaccine roll-out, and offer peace of mind to both passengers and industry as we begin to take trips abroad once again," he said in a statement.

U.K. officials won't reveal which countries fall into which risk category until early May, but international travel restrictions are slated to be reviewed on June 28. Additional reviews are scheduled to take place no later than July 31 and October 1.