Manchester Airports Group respond to ministers’ comments on ‘amber list’ travel

Manchester Airports Group CEO, Charlie Cornish, has issued a statement criticising the comments of government ministers regarding leisure travel to ‘amber list’ countries.

The boss of the UK’s largest airport group, which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, described comments made by government ministers regarding leisure travel as ‘simply unacceptable.’ In a number or media appearances, ministers have discouraged holidays to ‘amber list’ countries (those where a quarantine period is required on return) in contradiction of government policy.

In his full statement, Charlie Cornish, MAG CEO, said:

The traffic light system was signed off by the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers to provide a safe framework for international travel based on different levels of risk in green, amber and red countries.

“The whole point of the framework is to allow people to make their own decisions about whether to travel or not, confident in the knowledge that it would be safe.

“It is simply unacceptable for some ministers and officials to seek to discourage international travel, based on their own interpretations of government policy.

“Comments like these undermine consumer confidence and risk stifling the recovery of one of the UK’s most valuable sectors.”

New traffic light rules on foreign travel came into effect on Monday 17th May, with 12 countries and overseas territories on the so-called ‘green list’ where no restrictions would apply. Leisure travel is also permitted under the rules to ‘amber list’ countries, including most popular European holiday destinations, however a quarantine period on return is mandated. Only ‘red list’ countries have restrictions that limit travel for non-essential and leisure travel.

MAG has previously been critical of the government’s policies on foreign travel and support for the aviation sector throughout the pandemic, which has seen passenger numbers in the last year fall by 90%. The group also hit out at the limited number of territories included on the green list despite the successes of the UK’s vaccine rollout which the airport operator’s own research indicated would allow a much greater pool of low-risk destinations for British travellers.