Airline and travel chiefs attack UK Covid testing and other rules

Airline and travel bosses have attacked the continuing UK travel restrictions and Covid-19 testing requirements, with research showing inbound tourism to the UK declined sharply in 2021 while other markets recovered. Willie Walsh, the DG of IATA, described coronavirus travel tests as a “state-sponsored rip-off” and “profiteering”, and questioned why travel remained singled out when most restrictions to other sectors of the economy had been dropped. The government has pledged to drop PCR tests in favour of cheaper lateral flow tests (LFT) for incoming passengers, possibly in time for the half-term holiday, but ministers have given no firm date. Walsh said “alarm bells ring” when prices for LFTs started at GBP35 in the UK: “In Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands you can buy an antigen kit from the supermarket for less than E5.” He said the UK “got lost” after vaccinating its population, contrasting it with the EU, which he said was “moving in the right direction and much faster”. Walsh questioned why the UK still had mandatory testing for vaccinated arrivals, adding: “You have to ask why so much effort is put into controlling travellers when most restrictions have been dropped in the general population? In terms of day-to-day life, the UK is far more pragmatic in managing Covid-19 than many other states. But its approach to travel continues to focus on restrictions which cannot be justified based on risk.”<br/>