Charlie Cornish, Manchester Airport Group CEO, has released a statement following the latest changes to travel corridor arrangements and quarantine periods for returning holidaymakers.
Five countries including France, The Netherlands and Malta have been subject to restrictions from 4am Saturday 15th August, with limited notice for travellers that restrictions would change.
In his statement, Charlie Cornish (pictured), Manchester Airport Group CEO, said:
We fully support swift and decisive action to restrict travel to overseas regions that are experiencing increases in infection rates.
“But the Government should act with the same urgency to enable travel to places where rates have fallen to acceptable levels, or that already present a low risk to holidaymakers.
“Current restrictions have blocked travel to the vast majority of the most popular destinations British travellers fly to each summer. That includes the likes of the Canary Islands, with infection rates a fraction of those seen in mainland Spain, and places like Portugal, where rates have fallen consistently for a number of weeks.
“The Government has failed to appreciate the importance of access to these low-risk destinations to the British public, and to the long-term prospects of the aviation industry.
“Meanwhile, we have seen other countries, such as Germany, move quickly to develop flexible and risk-based approaches to international travel restrictions and the development of testing regimes.
“Aside from impacting the summer holiday plans of millions of people, jobs – and the wider recovery of the travel and tourism sector – are being put at risk by the approach currently being adopted by the UK.”
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