UK travel firms urge ‘air bridges’

Bloomberg

More than 200 UK travel and hospitality executives, including the head of London’s iconic Ritz hotel, joined a chorus of airlines and airports calling for the government to introduce air bridges to boost tourism and scrap contentious plans to quarantine visitors.
The group of 217 — spanning hotel chains and travel agents to chefs — also want the foreign office to relax advice warning against non-essential travel that’s putting people off booking holidays, according to a joint statement on Monday.
In a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel, the industry said the government’s plan to force visitors to the UK to self-isolate for 14 days is “unworkable, poorly thought-out” and already damaging to the sector. By contrast, corridors of free movement between low-risk cities or countries could hold the key to restarting flights in Britain.
Europe’s tourism sector is desperately trying to salvage the important summer vacation season after the coronavirus pandemic grounded virtually all travel from the end of March.
Airlines and airport operators have railed against the UK’s proposed quarantine measures that are set to take effect on June 8 and apply to all incoming travellers. Ryanair Holidngs CEO Michael O’Leary has called the plans “unscientific” and “unimplementable.”