"We recognise that universal, restriction-free international travel everywhere may not be possible from 17 May. However, there can be no economic recovery without aviation and we are confident we now have the tools to enable a safe and meaningful restart to air travel in May," the letter, published on Saturday, read.
The letter was signed by executives of British Airways, Ryanair, easyJet, Loganair, Jet2, Virgin Atlantic, TUI and trade body Airlines UK. The plea comes as the government’s Global Travel Taskforce is set to issue its report later in April. Under current regulations, foreign travel will not resume until 17 May at the earliest.
The country is going to introduce a so-called traffic-light system for foreign travelers. Passengers from the green category will be exempt from quarantine, but will still have to do COVID-19 tests before departure and upon arrival.
