Bosses of popular airlines and the UK travel industry are furious as international travel remains stinted for the UK but is open for other countries, such as Germany.
Manchester Airport, along with Jet2 and Easyjet, are criticising the Government for not allowing travel to islands such as the Majorca, on the green list.
The green list allows travel for leisure purposes, rather than business. It also means holiday goers do not have to quarantine on return and typically means less testing. As it stands, very few people are on the Governments green list.
The Government is continuously assessing how to open travel safely, leaving Jet2 bewildered. Chief Executive Steve Heapy says it makes no sense under the “UK Governments own criteria.”
Manchester Aiport Group and RyanAir are collectively launching a lawsuit against the Government. They disagree with the traffic light system and the “lack of transparency” over countries classification. For instance, the Spanish Island of Majorca is on the Amber list meaning UK residents can not freely travel there.
Yet German tourists are flocking freely to the Spanish Island, which has lower numbers than the UK. All they require is a pre registration and proof of vaccination. Dutch and Belgian Tourists also continue to arrive in Majorca but in less quantities then German.
According to the Palma de Majorca Airport, there have been over 3,000 flights to the country in May.
Business’s abroad reliant on UK travel industry
Local businesses in Balearics are desperate for normality, reliant on the tourists arrival throughout the summer for their businesses.
In an interview with the BBC, Irish Pub Owner Mark Steenson is taking drastic measures to ensure his business survives a second summer. He has redesigned the sign for his pub, getting it written in German to attract the German sunworshippers.
“If it weren’t for the Germans, we would be broke” he tells BBC. Making essential rapid adjustments, Mr Steenson is now learning German so he can talk to his regulars. The recent Euro game which saw Germany take on France resulted in the bar being completely full. Mr Steenson describes it “as a joy to see.”
It may be an exciting time for Mark, but MAG’s Charlie Cornish just feels anger. He is accusing the UK’s traffic system of not taking various countries progress against the virus into account. He claims the lack of transparency from the Government “is unacceptable” and is making it almost impossible for the transport business sector.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said their “first priority” is saving lives and keeping the public safe. They continue to defend the current traffic light system saying it categorises countries and territories on risk. To do this, it analyses the latest data.
Jet2’s Mr Heapy says he expects Maltic, Balearic and the Canary Islands to be on the green list at the next review on the 24th. If they are not “he expects an explanation”.
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