Travel firm Jet2 is encouraging Scotland to mirror England's rules regarding isolation rules for those who are fully vaccinated.
While England are lifting isolation requirements for those who have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine when travelling back from Amber listed countries, Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that the decision for Scotland still has to be made.
When asked about changing quarantine rules, she said: “We are considering that carefully. We will look carefully at the statement that’s been made in the UK, and we’ll come to a decision on that fairly soon in terms whether or not that will apply to people returning to Scotland.”
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Sturgeon also added that she is not “ruling anything out” on that front, emphasising that Scotland is at a “fragile” point and the Government needed to be careful.
The travel and tourism sector has been hit hard over the 14 months as the pandemic rages on, but airlines are welcoming England's updated rules and Jet2 are keen for Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have yet to announce their decision to follow suit.
The traffic light system only determines reason for travel (essential or non essential) and what travellers should do when returning back to the UK.
Each destination has their own guidelines for people visiting and airlines encourage holiday makers to check the FCDO before booking.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “This is the news that UK holidaymakers have been looking forward to, as it finally signals a meaningful restart to international travel.
"Instead of a handful of destinations to choose from, this news means our customers can plan and look forward to flights and holidays across 40 Green and Amber list destinations this summer.
“We will be restarting flights and holidays to all Amber List destinations from July 19 2021 onwards and we are ready for the wave of demand that this long-awaited and very welcome news will bring.
He added: “With the Government looking to unlock restrictions from 19th July, we have been calling for international travel not to be left behind, so this is an extremely positive step forward for the travel industry. It is fantastic news for our customers who want nothing more than to get away, and we cannot wait to take them on their well-deserved holidays.
“We look forward to the Scottish and Northern Ireland Governments following suit and await further good news from the devolved nations
“Our teams have worked tirelessly to look after customers and independent travel agent partners throughout the pandemic. We have built up a huge amount of trust thanks to our response and with sunnier skies in view we cannot wait to get back to doing what we do best, which is looking after customers on their flights and holidays.
“We will of course continue to review our programme in line with further updates from the Government.”
While keen travellers rush to book long awaited summer holidays, Jet2 have announced a £374 million loss after what the company called a “period of unparalleled operational and financial challenges” as the coronavirus pandemic brought flights to a halt.
In comparison, the airline made a profit £264 million for 2020.
Regular bans on international travel saw Jet2 passenger numbers plunge from 14.62 million to just 1.32 million - a 91% drop.
Package holiday numbers dropped 90% for the 12 months to March 31, after restrictions to travel forced Jet2 to ground its fleet for 29 weeks and a reduced programme once travel was allowed.
However, the airline remains optimistic as the green list grows and requirements are relaxed for those double jagged.
