Bosses of major airlines demand that the US and UK allow travel between the countries
Just ahead of the G7 meeting in Cornwall, the bosses of all airlines that offer transatlantic flights have urged the UK and US governments to establish a travel corridor between the countries.
In a statement, the group said that the corridor was essential for igniting economic recovery. As it stands, nearly all passenger travel is banned between the US and UK. A US presidential decree, introduced in March 2020, bans all non-US citizens who have been in the UK in the last 14 days from entering the US, although there are some specific exceptions.
Similarly, under the UK’s traffic light scheme, travelers coming the other way must self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival in the country. The US is currently classified as an amber country.
Airline bosses are now arguing that because of the successful vaccine rollout programs in both countries, these restrictions should be eased.
Shai Weiss, head of Virgin Atlantic, said – “There is no reason for the US to be absent from the UK green list. This overly cautious approach fails to reap the benefits of the successful vaccination programs in both the UK and the US. Customers, families, and businesses need to book and travel with confidence. After 15 months of restrictions, the time to act is now.”
Aviation corridor that is an “economic engine”
Pre-covid, the London to New York air corridor was amongst the busiest and most profitable in the world, with 30 daily flights linking the two cities. For the airlines, this route was one of their most lucrative.
British Airways is one of the airlines that is suffering from the restrictions. In the year to April 2019, this route alone generated profits of $1 billion.
John Holland-Kaye, the boss of Heathrow Airport who has backed the airlines call, said – “Connectivity between the UK and the US is one of the great engines of the global economy. The scientific data shows transatlantic travel and trade can be reopened safely and every day that policymakers delay puts jobs, livelihoods, and the economic chances of hardworking folks across our countries at risk unnecessarily.”
This is a view backed by the group. In a statement, they claimed that every day the corridor remains closed UK businesses lose £23 million.
It is easy to see why the airlines and airports are desperate to resume transatlantic flights. For long haul airlines like Virgin Atlantic, transatlantic flights make up 70% of its operations, and therefore the very future of the airline is threatened by the ongoing closure.
American Airlines Chief Executive, Doug Parker, has called the reopening of the route a critical step for the travel industry and the global economy as a whole.
The industry was hopeful that the UK government’s latest review of its traffic light scheme would see the US being moved to a “green status”. However, they reacted with dismay when the US retained its amber status.
Defending the decision the UK transport Secretary said – “The public has always known travel will be different this year and we must continue to take a cautious approach to reopening international travel in a way that protects public health and the vaccine rollout.”