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LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Britain's Prime Minister Boris
Johnson must show how travel will restart when he sets out his
wider roadmap for easing COVID-19 restrictions on Feb. 22, UK
airline bosses said.
Coronavirus restrictions on travel have brought airlines to
their knees over the last year and Britain's biggest airlines
easyJet and British Airways fear their sector
could be forgotten by the government again.
"We need a clear statement on the path for international
travel in the prime minister's announcement," easyJet Chief
Executive Johan Lundgren told media at an online event on
Thursday.
"The government has suggested that every other sector which
includes hospitality, retail, and leisure, that it will be a
roadmap for these sectors out on the Feb. 22, and international
travel must be included as well."
Airlines UK, the industry body, called for a phased
re-opening of UK borders, with increasing levels of vaccinations
and lower infection and hospitalisation rates paving the way for
restrictions to be gradually lifted.
It warned there will need to be "a bespoke support package"
from government if there is no roadmap to recovery for this
summer.
After almost a year with minimal revenues, all airlines,
including Jet2, TUI and Virgin Atlantic, are counting
on a bumper summer recovery in three to four months time to ease
pressure on their strained finances.
Britons need certainty that restrictions will be lifted so
they can book holidays, the companies said.
Currently Britain has tough border restrictions to guard
against new variants of coronavirus, including requirements for
10-day quarantines, spent in a hotel for some countries, and
three COVID-19 tests linked to international flights.
Many holiday destinations, such as Spain and France, also
currently restrict UK passengers from entering due to worries
over variants.
The government has sent out mixed messages in recent weeks
over what people can expect this summer.
One minister have said people should not book holidays in
Britain or abroad, while Health Minister Matt Hancock said
people should wait and the government was doing "everything it
can".
Britain's airline and travel sector has benefited from
furlough schemes for workers and bigger companies have taken on
government COVID-19 loans, but it has not had a sector specific
package from the government.
By contrast, Air France-KLM last year received
10.4 billion euros in loans and guarantees from France and the
Netherlands, while Germany bailed out Lufthansa and
TUI.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by David Evans)
