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The CEOs of every airline that flies transatlantic passenger services between the UK and the USA have joined forces with Heathrow Airport and other travel industry CEOs in urging both governments to re-open transatlantic air routes following more than a year of travel restrictions.
09 June 2021
The CEOs of all airlines that offer UK-US passenger services – American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic – joined with Heathrow Airport and other industry-leading CEOs in calling for the re-opening of transatlantic travel, a move that will be essential to igniting economic recovery.
Top leaders in aviation and travel came together ahead of the G7 meeting in Cornwall later to push for the reopening of the UK – US travel corridor. With world-leading vaccination programmes in both the UK and US, there is a clear opportunity to safely open up travel between these two low-risk countries, enabling consumers on both sides of the Atlantic to reconnect with loved ones, re-establish business relationships and explore new destinations after more than a year of lockdowns and restrictions. The CEOs urged both governments to take a data-driven and risk-based approach to re-opening borders to travel.
Boris Johnson has pledged to make new testing requirements for returning holidaymakers “as affordable as possible” amid concerns that many people will be priced out of foreign travel.
The Government announced plans for a new system on Monday that would require travellers arriving in the UK from low-risk countries to take pre-departure and post-arrival coronavirus tests.
Aviation leaders such as easyJet boss Johan Lundgren have suggested this would be unnecessary, but called for lateral flow tests to be accepted – rather than more expensive alternatives – if the policy is implemented.
Mr Johnson told reporters: “I do think we want to make things as easy as we possibly can.