Tories push for end of ‘illogical’ air travel forms

SENIOR Conservative backbenchers have called for the end of “cumbersome, intrusive and redundant” passenger locator forms for air travel in the wake of all other Covid restrictions being lifted.

They are demanding that the forms – introduced before all the restrictions on travel were ditched – should be phased out before the Easter holidays.

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, is understood to be pressing for their removal by Easter.

A simplification is already planned, reducing the average time it takes to fill in from 12 to eight minutes.

Huw Merriman, Conservative chair of the Commons transport committee, said that with the ending of self-isolation last week and removal of all Covid restrictions, the form had become “totally redundant and needs to go”.

“It’s a drain on international travel; the sector arguably most impacted by the pandemic. To leave this cumbersome and intrusive document in place has absolutely no [logic],” he said

The form was designed to help Government agencies track passengers who needed to quarantine or be tested on arrival in the UK.