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Restoring Portugal to the UK’s quarantine list for travelers would cause “further chaos and hardship,” the head of British Airways’ parent company warned.
Willie Walsh, IAG’s chief executive, criticized what he called an “ever-changing list” of requirements, claiming that the UK had “officially hung up the closed sign.”
“Another U-turn by the government, adding Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause more chaos and difficulties for travelers,” he said.
Portugal could be restored to the list of nations from which people entering Britain would have to isolate themselves, due to an increase in cases of COVID-19.
There were 21.1 positive tests per 100,000 people in seven days until August 30, from 19.4 a week to August 29, the figures show.
The UK threshold for considering adding a country to its quarantine list is 20 or more cases per 100,000 people.
The ministers also take into account trends in the number of cases, deaths, the testing capacity of countries and whether any increase in infections is due to a contained outbreak or general transmission.
Chris Sainty, the British ambassador to Portugal, warned that “things can change quickly.”
An airline has no seats left on flights back to the UK from Faro for the next three days.
Anyone returning from a listed country has to isolate themselves for two weeks after entering Britain.
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Disagreeing with the UK’s approach to quarantine, Mr Walsh wrote: “Healthy people should not be locked up for 14 days simply because they have been traveling.”
He also condemned the “widespread government quarantine on travel from a staggering 160 countries.”
The ministers have taken a “chaotic approach to quarantine,” he said, writing in The Times: “France, but not Italy; Portugal and then not Portugal and the Canary Islands, hundreds of miles from mainland Spain.”
He said that the return to work this month was where “rubber will really hit the runway”, and that the aviation industry is vital to the British economy.
He stated that people “who relax on vacation pose no greater threat than someone taking a bus to the supermarket.”
As for the council, Mr. Walsh urged ministers to “introduce a simple testing regime that allows for a more nuanced approach to flying from region to region or city to city.”
He said the restrictions were holding back the economic recovery in the airline sector, writing: “Passengers want to travel. Assuring them that flying is safe is key to any recovery.”
Portugal was only added to Britain’s “safe list” on August 22, after cases fell below the threshold.
Internet searches for Portuguese holidays increased by more than 2,000% after the government announced that British returning from the country would no longer have to isolate themselves.
Mr. Sainty said it had been “great to see people reunite with their families and enjoy the summer.”
But he also urged people to “take into account the risks of traveling abroad in this fast-paced situation.”
“Only travel if you are satisfied with an unexpected quarantine if necessary,” he added.
While some people were rushing back to Britain before new quarantine measures were imposed, tickets for flights from Portugal were a rare commodity.
EasyJet had sold all of its flights from Faro, which serves the Algarve, to all relevant British airports on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
And British Airways is selling seats on a flight from Faro to Heathrow on Thursday for £ 554, compared to £ 139 for the same trip seven days later.
