PM takes charge of plans for ‘air bridges’

Boris Johnson is taking personal charge of “air bridges” to revive the prospect of foreign summer holidays through deals with European destinations, sources have disclosed. The Prime Minister is said to be “deeply engaged on the issue” after the Government faced legal action by airlines and a major Tory rebellion over its 14-day quarantine, which came into effect on Monday. It is understood ministers and officials are working “at pace” on the plans.

BORIS JOHNSON is taking personal charge of “air bridges” to revive the prospect of foreign summer holidays through deals with European destinations, sources have disclosed.

The Prime Minister is said to be “deeply engaged on the issue” after the Government faced legal action by airlines and a major Tory rebellion over its 14-day quarantine, which came into effect on Monday. It is understood ministers and officials are working “at pace” on the plans, which could enable holidaymakers to sidestep the quarantine from the end of June to go to “low risk” countries including Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

Insiders claimed it represented a victory for Sir Edward Lister, Mr Johnson’s chief strategic adviser and supporter of the air bridge plan, over Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s senior adviser credited as one of the architects of the quarantine. It follows yesterday’s disclosure by The Daily Telegraph that bosses of the travel and hospitality industry have been privately assured by the Government that “air bridges” will be introduced from June 29.

The Quash Quarantine group of more than 500 of the biggest names in the industry said that as a result, they would suspend their threatened legal action to overturn quarantine.

A government source said: “It’s always been the plan to introduce travel corridors.” It is thought confirmation of the ambition to establish the corridors may come as early as this week. Any deals would have to be allied to a change in the Foreign Office advice banning any non-essential travel.

An industry source said: “Their difficulty is how to change travel advice for some countries and not for others without causing a diplomatic row, and we’re led to believe that FCO advice would have changed before now were it not for those localised considerations.”

Meanwhile, the corporate travel industry has suggested that business travel corridors could be created with Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam so that executives could dodge the quarantine.

Executives arriving from the three cities would take an “on the spot” PCR coronavirus test under proposals spearheaded by the Business Travellers Association, which it said could be ready within a week.

The measures are proposed in a letter to Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, and Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary. The Department for Transport is also expected to publish within the next few days its blueprint for “safe” post-coronavirus air travel including compulsory masks, widespread use of hand gel, contactless travel and some social distancing. Applying the twometre social distancing rule inside planes has been ruled out.

“All passengers have to be treated as if they have [Covid-19], because small numbers will be carrying the virus without symptoms (about 1 in 400 in the UK at the end May),” said advice led by Ashley Woodcock, professor of respiratory medicine at Manchester.

It was also revealed that no one was fined on the first day of quarantine despite dozens arriving without locator forms.