Britain’s air bridges hit by Greek flights ban

BRITAIN’S air bridge plans were in danger of being undermined yesterday as Greece banned British holiday flights until the middle of July.

Greece suspended direct flights from the UK and Sweden until July 15 because of the epidemiological data on the pandemic in both countries.

Ireland also signalled that Britain was unlikely to be on its “green list” of countries under which travellers will be exempted from its 14-day quarantine from July 9 because of the UK’S “very high” incidence of coronavirus.

Nicola Sturgeon warned she would consider introducing quarantine for

English visitors to Scotland if the number of cases south of the Border surges. She said she had no plans at present for restrictions on cross-border travel but added: “I’m not ruling anything out.”

The moves come days before Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, is due to unveil a list of more than 50 countries where he plans air bridges to allow Britons to avoid having to self-isolate for 14 days on their return.

Greece, along with France and Spain, was named last Friday as one of 50 destinations earmarked for quarantine-free holidays from July 6.

However, announcing plans to open the country to international travellers from July 1, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister, specifically excluded flights from Britain and Sweden. “The whole process is ongoing and the data will be constantly evaluated,” he said.

Henry Smith, the Tory chairman of the cross-party Future of Aviation Group, said the Greek decision “drives a coach and horses through the quarantine. I think it is a retrograde step but a country needs to do what they think is in their public health interests.”

Ireland is expected to announce its “green list” of countries on July 9, which is understood to include Spain, Greece, Portugal, Malta and Croatia.

Leo Varadkar, the deputy prime minister, said that if the decision was made now, travellers from Britain with its “very high incidences of infection” would face quarantine – even though

Irish people heading to the UK need not self-isolate.

Dr Tony Holohan, Ireland’s chief medical officer, said its green list would be countries with similarly low infection rates. Ireland had two cases on Sunday compared with the UK’S 900.

Denmark also kept the UK, Ireland, Romania and Malta on its “quarantine” list, in retaliation for their own restrictions. By contrast, the Czech Republic said yesterday that Britain would be on its green list. However, it banned Sweden on “red” and put Portugal on “amber.”

Britain is threatening to exclude Portugal from its air bridges after an outbreak in and around Lisbon forced a new lockdown in 19 parishes.