The government of United Kingdom has announced that it is removing the remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions from Friday.
Starting 04:00 hours on 18th March 2022, international travellers, irrespective of the vaccine status, will not have to fill the Passenger Locator form and also will not have to undergo a COVID-19 test on arrival. Grant Shapps, the Transport secretary, announced the news on Twitter.
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Commenting on the news, a spokesperson from Virgin Atlantic said:
The removal of all remaining UK travel restrictions, including the Passenger Locator Form, is the final important step towards frictionless air travel, helping to further restore consumer confidence as we welcome more customers back to the skies this Spring and Summer. With these barriers to travel removed, Britain is open for business and passengers can reconnect with loved ones and business colleagues once again. To uphold the experience of all travellers, it’s vital that the UK Government works closely with industry to ensure the UK border is ready for increasing passengers, as international travel ramps up.
Johan Lundgren, CEO, easyJet, said:
This welcome move by the UK Government marks a return to truly restriction-free flying to and from the UK, giving an extra boost to travel this Easter. We are looking ahead to what we expect to be a strong summer for easyJet, with plans to return to near 2019 levels of flying. We can’t wait to welcome more customers back on board.
Julia Simpson, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, said:
Other countries ditched Passenger Locator forms weeks ago, but it is good news the UK Government has now scrapped all travel restrictions for coming to the UK.
Drew Crawley, Chief Commercial Officer, American Express Global Business Travel, said:
This long-overdue decision to remove these costly restrictions is good news for the sector and the economy. We can now look forward to an accelerated return of business travel and a more frictionless end-to-end experience for travellers. If we are to be a successful international trading nation in this post-Brexit, post-pandemic era, the government must now be resolutely focused on supporting the travel and aviation sectors.
What do you think of UK removing all travel restrictions? Do you think it is too early to take such decisions? Let me know in the comments section below.
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