THE GREAT AIR REVOLT TAKES OFF
SNP ministers facing demands to roll out airport tests as angry Tories round on PM
AIRPORT testing for Covid-19 must be rolled out in Scotland to help save the airline industry from ‘collapse’, SNP ministers have been told. The Tories have demanded that ministers get round the table with airport bosses to come up with a system that gives people confidence to fly again.
The travel industry warned that the current approach to quarantine will have a devastating effect on Scotland’s trade with the world.
Boris Johnson is also under growing pressure to introduce testing in airports, amid an extraordinary revolt from some of his own MPs.
The SNP Government is responsible for the issue north of the Border.
Scottish Tory transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: ‘Over the last 24 hours, I have held discussions with the senior management teams at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen
airports. They have told me clearly that the Scottish Government must agree a passenger testing regime immediately. They cannot wait any longer. Even the threat of quarantine is stopping people from flying.
‘Thousands of jobs are already under threat. The airline industry is at risk of collapse and the SNP Government must get round the table with airport bosses and tell them how they intend to stop the situation spiralling any further.’
A string of former Tory ministers have publicly called for urgent action to get Britain flying again.
Former foreign secretary David Davis, ex-transport secretary Chris Grayling and former aviation ministers Theresa Villiers and Paul Maynard were among the senior Tories to criticise their own Government’s approach.
Conservative MPs reported a ‘groundswell of anxiety’ among their ranks over the catastrophic consequences that the 14-day quarantine scheme is now having on the economy.
In total, 12 Tories – including eight ex-ministers – have spoken out on the record in recent days. But it is thought as many as 40 are prepared to join a revolt over the shambles ahead of a Commons debate on aviation on Thursday.
It came as aerospace giants Rolls-Royce and Airbus joined the Mail’s campaign to Get Britain Flying Again. Pilots’ union Balpa also demanded action.
Yesterday, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused the Scottish Government of creating ‘confusion’ by taking a different approach on some countries.
From today, passengers returning to Scotland and Wales from Portugal will have to go into quarantine for 14 days, but people returning to England will not.
SNP ministers announced on Tuesday that those returning from Greece would face quarantine in Scotland, even though the UK Government did not make the same decision for England.
Mike Tibbert, vice-president of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association, said: ‘It feels as if the Government is playing games.
‘The entire travel sector and the travelling public need consistency and clear, well-timed messaging, not a drip-drip of what might or might not happen and which country might be added to or removed from the “safe list”.
‘This is actually distracting from the main issue, which is the total lack of immediate support for the travel sector.
‘Once lost, our connectivity to the rest of the world – and consequently theirs to us – will disappear. Once this happens and we lose flight routes, it will be years before we can rebuild these.
‘Is the Government considering the impact this will have on Scottish and UK economy? It’s time that everyone realised this is not just about holidaymakers and is everything about the devastation this will have on our ability to do business with the world.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We want to continue to explore whether there is a better balance around quarantine, but we are not satisfied that moving from quarantine to testing would provide enough protection.
‘People in the early stages of incubation of the virus could test negative and go on to develop the virus and spread it.
‘If we don’t keep the virus under control, we make life even harder for the economy.’
The Mail today calls on the Scottish and UK Governments to answer six urgent questions on airport testing.
We are demanding to know why Britain is lagging behind more than 30 other countries that have introduced airport testing regimes to save their economies.
Mr Johnson yesterday defended quarantine, saying a single test on arrival would only detect 7 per cent of cases. He added: ‘So 93 per cent of the time you could have a real false sense of security, a false sense of confidence.
‘That’s why the quarantine system that we have has got to be an important part of our repertoire, of our toolbox, in fighting Covid.’
But MPs and travel bosses accused ministers of ignoring Sage research suggesting a second test after five days would catch 85 per cent of cases, and 96 per cent after eight days.
‘Government is playing games’