Heathrow urges revision to travel restrictions to save Christmas

Heathrow has pleaded with the UK Government to grant British citizens travelling from red list countries the ability to isolate themselves at home rather in a hotel in order to be able to spend Christmas with their families. 

It made the declaration as it revealed the number of passengers coming through the airport in November was still 60 per cent down on pre-pandemic volumes, even as it climbed by more than 300 per cent on the same month last year. 

Slow recovery: Heathrow revealed the number of passengers coming through its airport in November was still 60 per cent down on pre-pandemic volumes

The airport said the high level of business travellers cancelling their flights because of worries about being forced to stay overseas due to pre-departure testing was behind much of the poor performance.

Growing worries about the spread of the Omicron variant have led to new travel restrictions imposed across the world, and more reticence among people to go abroad for a holiday or business meeting. 

Eleven African countries have been put on the UK Government’s red list, meaning only UK and Irish nationals and those with residency rights will be allowed to come to England if they have been in one of those countries in the previous ten days. 

Travel rules introduced in recent days require all England-bound travellers over the age of 12 to show proof of a negative Covid test taken within two days of their flight, and quarantine in a hotel for ten days after arriving.

They must then take a PCR test within two days of coming to England and another one either on or after the eighth day of quarantining. Failure to comply with the rules risks a fine of up to £10,000.

Many in the tourism and travel industry have criticised these measures as an overreaction that will pile on even more financial harm to an industry that has been one of the worst affected by the pandemic.  

Forecasts: Heathrow Airport anticipates a slow start to demand next year, but is hoping to have 45 million passengers fly to and from its premises

‘By allowing Brits to isolate at home, Ministers can make sure they are reunited with their loved ones this Christmas,’ remarked Heathrow airport’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye.

‘It would send a strong signal that restrictions on travel will be removed as soon as safely possible to give passengers the confidence to book for 2022, opening up thousands of new jobs for local people at Heathrow. Let’s reunite families for Christmas.’

The airport anticipates a slow start to demand next year but is expecting to have 45 million passengers fly to and from its premises in 2022, compared to the 16.3 million people who came through Heathrow in the first 11 months of 2021. 

Yet this would still mean passenger numbers were slightly more than 50 per cent of their pre-pandemic levels. 

Additionally, it does not believe international travel will rebound to pre-pandemic volumes until all travel restrictions both in the UK and the markets it serves are lifted, and there is ‘no risk’ of them coming back.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk