Air travel industry welcomes scrapping of Covid restrictions

Companies and trade organisations in the air travel industry have welcomed the end of remaining Covid travel restrictions.

Heathrow Airport said it would be dropping the requirement for passengers to wear masks in its premises following the Government’s announcement that all measures, including passenger locator forms, will end on Friday.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday the changes will allow “greater freedom in time for Easter” and will mean “you can travel just like in the good old days”.

The move has been welcomed with open arms by some, including Heathrow Airport, which said it would be dropping mask requirements on Wednesday.

Its chief operating officer, Emma Gilthorpe, said she was “pleased” by the announcement.

“We have worked hard to keep our passengers and colleagues safe during the pandemic,” she said.

“We acted quickly to institute face coverings as one of our first lines of defence and we’re pleased that we’re now able to move away from a mandatory requirement as society learns to live with Covid longer term.

“While we still recommend wearing them, we can be confident the investments we’ve made in Covid-secure measures – some of which aren’t always visible – combined with the fantastic protection provided by the vaccine will continue to keep people safe while travelling.”

Virgin Atlantic and British Airways also announced they are ditching mask requirements on some routes.

From Wednesday, British Airways customers will only need to wear face covering on board flights if their destination requires it while Virgin Atlantic said it would be “gradually” removing compulsory mask rules, starting with Caribbean flights from London and Manchester.

Corneel Koster, chief customer and operating officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “As we learn to live with Covid and with the legal requirement to wear a face mask now removed in England, we believe our customers should have the personal choice whether to wear a mask onboard on routes where international regulations around mask-wearing do not apply.”

He added masks will be required on most services, including those to or from the United States until April 18 “at the earliest”.

Jason Mahoney, British Airways’ chief operating officer, said the move was “welcome” and “a positive step forward”.

He said: “As an international airline, we fly to a large number of countries around the world, all of which have their own local restrictions and legal requirements.

“For destinations where the wearing of a face covering is not mandated, our customers are able to make a personal choice, and we kindly request everyone respects each other’s preferences.”

Julia Simpson, president and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said: “Other countries ditched passenger locator forms weeks ago but it is good news the UK Government has now scrapped all travel restrictions for coming to the UK.

“If we are to compete on a world stage we need to be ‘open for business’ and not ask people to fill in lengthy forms.”

Airlines Jet2.com and Tui Airways recently announced they were easing their rules on masks.

The Airport Operators Association (AOA), the trade association for UK airports, said “restriction-free travel is good news for passengers”.

AOA chief executive Karen Dee said: “People should feel encouraged to book their long-awaited holidays, trips to see relatives and friends abroad that they haven’t seen for a long time and travel to rekindle business ties with other countries.

“Recovery is not a given, however, and with the rising cost of living, the rise in fuel prices and the uncertainty following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there remain potentially significant headwinds for UK airports as they seek to attract travellers back.”

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), a trade union for UK pilots, also said it welcomed the move.

Balpa general secretary Martin Chalk said: “The aviation industry has been through the worst crisis it has ever faced yet it will underpin the much-needed economic recovery that global Britain needs.

“Balpa pilots look forward to taking Grant Shapps on his next trip and, in the meantime, call for the Government to publish its recovery plan for the sector urgently.

“We must ensure that we can effectively compete and regain the competitive ground lost to European competitors as a result of the UK Government’s stringent and harmful approach.”