Fares to the new destinations on the green list surged immediately
Airline industry leaders have warned that the government’s recent expansion of the UK’s green list is not sufficient enough.
As of Wednesday, people returning from 16 places will not be required to undergo a quarantine.
Grant Schapps, the transport secretary, also confirmed that plans are in place for fully vaccinated people returning from amber list countries to not have to undergo a quarantine. This could be put into place “later this summer” Schapps said.
easyJet has come out and said the government’s timetable doesn’t go far enough, adding that there has been a huge surge in people booking holidays to countries on the green list.
Chief executive of easyJet Garry Wilson has also questioned why certain places, including the Canary Island and Greek Islands, were not added to the list.
Fares to the new additions to the green list surged immediately after they were announced as being quarantine-free destinations, the Independent revealed.
Flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Funchal in Madeira more than doubled after the announcement earlier this week. While flights from Manchester to Malta via easyJet saw a 25% increase.
Ibiza’s director of tourism said the island would welcome people “with open arms” if the UK government added it to its green list, the Financial Times reported.
The UK government plans to review England’s traffic-light system for overseas travel every three weeks.