Airlines are lobbying the Government to scrap remaining Covid travel restrictions as they battle to repair finances.
It is understood the UK’s biggest airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, Virgin Atlantic and Jet2, met Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Tuesday to discuss plans for removing the final barriers.
Bosses say fully vaccinated passengers should no longer have to take a lateral flow test on day two after arriving in the UK when the travel rules are reviewed later this month. They also want passenger locator forms to be ditched.
Lobby: Airline bosses say fully vaccinated passengers should no longer have to take a lateral flow test on day two after arriving in the UK
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, said: ‘I see no reason why foreign travel should not be the same as it was two years ago. Travelling should be a pleasure again, not a drudgery and an exercise in mammoth form filling-out and testing.’
Virgin Atlantic said the goal of this month’s review should be ‘the removal of all testing for travel and developing a playbook for how to deal with any new variants.’
Holiday bookings soared last week after pre-departure tests and quarantine were scrapped and cheaper lateral flow tests on arrival replaced PCR tests.
Julia Lo Bue-Said of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: ‘This news gives firms optimism they have a business worth fighting for.’
