The boss of Heathrow today insisted there was “no reason to delay” the return of international air travel for millions of Britons beyond May 17.
Chief executive John Holland-Kaye was speaking after Boris Johnson said yesterday he remained “hopeful” that flying abroad could be made legal by the date originally laid out in the roadmap out of lockdown.
However, the Prime Minister also cautioned about “underestimating” the difficulty of allowing holidays to popular destinations such as France and Italy that are still experiencing high levels of Covid infections.
But Mr Holland-Kaye urged the Government to “give us clarity” on which countries can be safely opened up “as soon as possible” so that logistical preparations can be put in place in time for the peak summer season. He said would take “a minimum” of eight weeks to get the airport back to full capacity.
Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said that key destinations that could be safely opened up to travel to and from Britain by May 17 included the USA, Israel and the Caribbean.
Mr Holland-Kaye also said that the UAE should be placed on the “green list” of countries that are safe to travel to without restrictions such as quarantine on return.
Sean Doyle, chief executive of British Airways, said he was “confident” that top European destinations would be available to Britons by the summer peak.
The Government’s taskforce on the risks of starting up international travel — currently banned for all leisure purposes — issued its initial findings yesterday. Destinations will be placed on green, amber or red lists depending on their level of Covid spread.
