New vaccine passports vital to open up the skies
THE boss of the company which owns British Airways yesterday called for ‘vaccine passports’ to make holidays a reality this summer.
IAG chief executive Luis Gallego urged governments to strike deals and open up the skies for travellers with proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test.
The ‘digital health passes’ could easily be flashed at check-in gates.
British Airways already accepts the VeriFLY app, on which travellers can upload proof of a recent negative Covid test. The makers say it could be expanded to include proof of vaccination within days.
It came as IAG, which also owns Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, announced record operating losses of £6billion last year. The airline group haemorrhaged money at a rate of £205 per second in 2020 because of the pandemic. More than half was attributable to British Airways.
IAG’s revenues collapsed by 69 per cent, from £22.2billion to £6.8billion last year. Mr Gallego said the results ‘reflect the serious impact that Covid-19 has had on our business’.
He added: ‘The aviation industry stands with governments in putting public health at the top of the agenda. Getting people travelling again will require a clear road map for unwinding restrictions.
‘We know there is pent-up demand for travel and people want to fly.
‘Vaccinations are progressing well and global infections are going in the right direction.
‘We’re calling for international common testing standards and the introduction of digital health passes to reopen our skies safely.’
He said there had been a ‘big increase’ in travel demand after Boris Johnson announced his plan for easing lockdown restrictions in England on Monday. It could mean holidays are allowed from May 17.
Bookings were up more than 60 per cent on Monday compared with the same day the previous week, Mr Gallego said.
It came as Gatwick, the UK’s second largest airport, announced losses of £465.5million after passenger numbers dropped by 78 per cent last year. The airport had to shed 40 per cent of its workforce as a result.
Earlier this week Heathrow Airport announced losses of £2billion.
Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye urged ministers to ‘get a move on’ with vaccine passports.
He added: ‘The UK has a unique opportunity here.
‘We are the first major country out of the blocks with the Covid vaccination, so we have a chance to define how travel can work in a post-vaccination world.’
Yesterday, the bosses of six airports in northern England – Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool John Lennon, Doncaster Sheffield, Newcastle International and Carlisle Lake District – wrote to Mr Johnson calling for a bespoke bailout package for aviation in next week’s Budget.
Last night, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said work was ongoing on how best to enable holidaymakers to show they have been vaccinated.
He added: ‘We know there’s some areas where certification is going to be needed, for instance if a government of another country says that you need to show that you’ve had a Covid vaccine, obviously we then want to be able to help people, enable people, to show that certificate.’
‘UK has a unique opportunity’