Boris Johnson's government should stage an urgent review into travel testing rules for fully-vaccinated passengers to avoid falling behind other European nations.
Bosses at Heathrow Airport are calling for the controversial Passenger Locator Form to be reviewed at the next Global Travel Taskforce with air travel recovering more quickly from the pandemic at rival European hubs.
Heathrow’s passenger levels are 56 per cent down on pre-Covid levels despite “clear signs” of recovery, with the airport saying the relaxation of international travel rules ahead of October half-term “unleashed pent-up demand”.
The next review is expected early in the new year. Officials have admitted the PLF has been 'problematic' but they are confident it will become more user-friendly.
But it is likely to remain in use indefinitely despite Covid testing regulations easing with the UK Government forecasting it will be developed to work as a full online pre-authorisation of the passenger, to give the airline a ‘board or don’t board’ indicator.
Heathrow said: "Despite clear signs of recovery, passenger levels remain 56 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels. With air travel at other major European airports recovering faster, ministers should reassess testing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers and the Passenger Locator Form at the next Global Travel Taskforce review, to ensure the UK is aligned with its European competitors."
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye claimed efforts to make the aviation industry more sustainable should continue.
He said: “As the journey to recovery accelerates, aviation’s ambitions to decarbonise must keep pace.
“We need to keep our foot to the pedal, working to make air travel guilt-free and government must act with a mandate for 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel by 2030 and a price stability mechanism to upscale SAF usage, if we are to tackle the industry’s biggest challenge – carbon.”
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