(Adds comments, background)
LONDON, June 8 (Reuters) - Britain's quarantine plan was
rushed into existence, is out of proportion and should be
challenged in the courts, according to the head of easyJet which
has joined rivals in threatening legal proceedings.
Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said he believed easyJet,
Ryanair and British Airways had a good chance
of winning any legal battle and warned that if the measure
stayed in place for a long time he could have to make further
job cuts.
Britain on Monday introduced a 14-day quarantine for
international arrivals despite the threat of legal action.
"We think that there’s enough evidence and there’s a strong
case here that this should be challenged by the courts. This is
something that has been rushed through. It’s not in proportion,"
Lundgren told Sky News on Monday.
EasyJet is already planning to cut 4,500 jobs or 30% of its
workforce because of the coronavirus crisis, and Lundgren said
quarantine would make the situation even worse.
He said he hoped the threat of legal action would push the
government to replace the measure with "a targeted approach that
is based on the solutions of air bridges", which allow people to
travel freely between countries with low infection rates.
When asked if the quarantine could lead to more job losses,
he said, "I fear so...I think and I fear unless there is a
change to this (the quarantine rule), that the aviation industry
as we know it here in the UK will not be in tact."
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Kate Holton)