CRITICISM OF GREEN TRAVEL LIST DELAYS
THE boss of East Midlands Airport has complained the government was too slow to put safe tourist spots on its green list.
The government announced last week that popular destinations including Ibiza, Malta and some Caribbean islands were being added to the green list, meaning no quarantine for people coming home.
Until now, the only green destinations accepting UK holidaymakers were Iceland and Gibraltar. Portugal had been on the green list but was turned to amber earlier this month.
Now, with more green holiday hotspots, the aviation industry is able to start making money again.
But Charlie Cornish, chief executive officer of Manchester Airports Group, which owns and operates East Midlands Airport, said the government had acted too slowly and it had been “sluggish” and lacked transparency in how decisions were being made.
He said: “Serious questions remain as to why these destinations weren’t opened up sooner when there is clear evidence to suggest this could have been done weeks ago.
“At the same time, the government has again failed to publish the data and advice it uses to inform its decisions, which makes it harder to prepare for any future changes to the lists.”
He also urged the government to be speedy in bringing in the proposed change that will mean double-vaccinating adults and their children will be able to skip quarantine if they go to amber list countries.
Mr Cornish said: “Stating an intention to enable double-vaccinated people to travel to amber countries without the need to self-isolate on return is also long overdue, and this policy must be implemented as soon as possible.
“Vague and open-ended promises are just not good enough.
“While UK citizens are stuck at home, Europeans are on the move and taking advantage of their own vaccination programmes to lift restrictions and open up travel to low-risk destinations.
“The government already has clear evidence on the effectiveness of vaccines, but its sluggish and opaque response to international travel restrictions is squandering the UK’s leadership in this area.
“With no transparency from government, we simply cannot understand how ministers are taking these decisions, which are fundamental to the future of a sector that supports more than one million jobs and billions of pounds of economic value.”
TOURIST SPOTS
SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON GREEN LIST WEEKS AGO - AIRPORT BOSS