Airport chiefs demand Sturgeon eases travel rules
AIRPORT bosses yesterday called on the Scottish Government to relax travel rules for holidaymakers.
Edinburgh Airport chief Gordon Dewar wants Nicola Sturgeon’s government to follow the rest of the UK in scrapping expensive PCR tests for travellers to low-risk countries.
He believes Scotland has been left “lagging behind” due to tighter restrictions here – with airports in England seeing a massive upturn in business.
Last week the UK Government announced PCR testing for vaccinated travellers to low-risk countries would be scrapped from October 4.
But the Scottish Government said it wanted to keep the PCR tests for returning holidaymakers.
The First Minister signalled a U-turn on that decision this week, saying she might fall into line with the English approach.
She said a decision would be made “within the next couple of days” whether to follow the UK Government’s decision to drop the requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to take expensive PCR tests on return from overseas.
Dewar wants Sturgeon to “follow a four-nations approach” to help the aviation industry recover.
He said: “Aviation has been one of the hardest-hit sectors throughout the pandemic and we will be one of the last to fully recover, but when we talk about aviation, we have to consider what it brings to Scotland.
“Aviation brings people to Scotland, be they tourists or students, researchers or families. It brings business and investment to Scotland. It takes Scottish businesses and talent to the world. It is important to our economy and its recovery.
“Unfortunately, we are lagging behind our competitors due to tighter restrictions and slower relaxations and will only isolate ourselves further if we don’t have a coherent strategy in place.
“This is a chain economy – travel brings people, jobs, investment and spend to Scotland, and we must act to protect the travel sector and the many moving parts of it.
“Further divergence won’t do that, and we again urge the Scottish Government to listen to clinicians and follow a four-nations approach that will help both public health and economic health.
“We think this report is an important part of the conversation and will help shape a recovery strategy so we can position ourselves on solid footing to recover as quickly and sustainably as possible.”
Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “This is more than just travel and tourism – it’s also about business investment, international trade and exports, and the many thousands of jobs that are supported by Scotland’s connectivity to the world.
“A four-nations approach will ensure Scotland remains competitive and well placed to recover sustainably, and we hope this report helps to inform the Scottish Government’s decision.”
Sturgeon said on Tuesday: “We fully understand and agree with the desirability wherever possible of adopting a four-nations approach to travel restrictions.
“And we have to recognise the reality, however difficult this may be for us, that if Scotland adopts more stringent requirements than England, then people living in Scotland, who want to go abroad, may decide to fly from airports based in England.
“It’s not an easy decision and will have implications either way. As I indicated earlier, we will confirm our decision in the next day or so.”