Tough travel restrictions in the UK threaten to undermine
the country’s rapid progress in its vaccine rollout, figures from Europe’s
airports association show.
Data from ACI Europe show that bookings in the UK are
at 30 per cent of pre-Covid levels, compared with around 60 per cent in Europe.
The boss of Gatwick Airport has said the figures add weight to the
argument that PCR testing should be dropped for those arriving in the UK who
have been double vaccinated.
With proof, double vaccinated travellers can currently enter
the majority of European countries without needing to be tested, including
France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Germany, among others.
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick CEO, said: “With vaccination
rates across Europe comparable, if not better, than the UK’s, the time has come
for testing to be removed altogether for travellers who have been double
jabbed. Other countries have done this and their aviation sectors are
recovering much faster with bookings in Europe recovering twice as fast as in
the UK.
“Our continued travel restrictions are out of step with much
of Europe and continue to have a real impact on jobs and livelihoods, business
and growth opportunities while also keeping friends and family apart. Passenger
confidence in the UK has been shattered and the UK travel industry urgently
needs to be thrown a lifeline so that we can start to recover properly from the most
difficult period in our history.”