MAG (Manchester
Airports Group) and Ryanair have launched a legal challenge calling for
transparency in the UK Government’s handling of its “traffic light” system for international
travel. The move is backed by a number of other major UK airlines.
The legal challenge
names both the UK’s Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, and the
Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, as defendants.
The companies argue
that the Government has not been clear about how it has made decisions about
the categorisation of countries as red, amber or green.
The submission to
the courts says, “Despite the fact that the defendant is required to conduct regular,
rigorous reviews of the risks presented by individual countries and territories
to determine whether the measures remain necessary, and has undertaken to
publish the data and information that explain the categorisation of countries,
the decisions are in fact being made in a manner that wholly lacks transparency
and without such information being published.”
It adds this makes it
impossible for MAG, or any other travel business, to “make meaningful
representations, to plan, or to scrutinise the legality of the decisions.”
On 3 June, the
Government announced its first review of the traffic light system, which saw
Portugal removed from the green list and no other countries added.
The next review of
the system is due on 28 June.
MAG is calling on
the Government to publish the Covid-19 prevalence thresholds it uses to
determine whether destinations are classed as red, amber or green, as well as
any other criteria, advice or information that informs its decision-making.
Charlie Cornish,
MAG CEO, said: “We originally welcomed the global travel taskforce’s traffic light
system, which the Government said would be based on a ‘a clear and consistent
evidence-based approach to facilitate the safe, sustainable and robust return
of international travel.'
“However, recent
developments suggest that the Government is now unwilling to open up
international travel by putting low risk countries on the green list.
“For most countries,
the traffic light seems to be stuck on amber for no obvious reason, despite
having prevalence rates much lower than the UK.
“The Government is
not being open and we simply cannot understand how it is making
decisions that are fundamental to our ability to plan, and to giving
customers the confidence to book travel ahead."
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair Group, said: “The UK’s traffic light
system has been a complete shambles from the beginning.
This go-stop-go-stop policy is causing untold damage to the aviation
industry.
“We call on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to explain the scientific basis
behind this system that the Government seem to make up as they
go along and to establish a data-driven transparent model that could
restore confidence in air travel ahead of the very crucial peak summer months.”