Plotting a path to restriction-free journey is essential to the complete revival of the ailing aviation sector.
That was the message delivered in the present day by MAG, as the most important airport group within the UK, because it revealed figures displaying passenger numbers had been down 90 per cent throughout the primary 12 months of the coronavirus pandemic.
Such a roadmap needs to be based mostly on larger cooperation between the UK authorities and its abroad counterparts, to share details about the emergence of latest Covid-19 variants of concern and get rid of the necessity for travellers to take costly PCR assessments on their return.
At the moment, the UK authorities proposes that every one passengers – even these getting back from the bottom threat ‘inexperienced’ locations – must take a PCR take a look at, so it could actually collect knowledge that may assist with genomic sequencing.
MAG mentioned this may very well be prevented if governments labored collectively on sequencing and sharing knowledge on variants.
The testing requirement is a part of the World Journey Taskforce’s ‘site visitors gentle’ framework, introduced final week, which categorises nations as purple, amber or inexperienced based mostly on the danger related to visiting them.
Topic to ultimate affirmation, it’s set to return into play on Might 17th, the earliest date non-essential journey can resume.
MAG – the proprietor of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports – mentioned that the framework needs to be improved urgently to incorporate a fourth, restriction-free class capitalising on the success of the vaccination programme.
Doing so would take away important private value to passengers and inject much-needed confidence into the UK aviation sector forward of what’s going to be a crucial summer time season.
The dramatic downturn aviation has skilled was laid naked in MAG’s annual passenger figures, which confirmed that in comparison with March 2020, MAG served 93 per cent fewer passengers in March 2021, and that its rolling 12-month passenger complete is down 89 per cent.
In March 2019, MAG served greater than 4 million passengers, in comparison with March 2021 when it served 140,000 – a 97 per cent lower.
Manchester Airport dealt with simply 95,798 passengers in March 2021, 89.8% down on the 942,900 it dealt with 12 months earlier.
At Stansted, the determine was 44,259 this March, in contrast with over 800,000 a yr earlier – a 95 per cent drop.
At East Midlands Airport, the airport served simply 71 passengers for the entire of March this yr, in opposition to 106,529 in 2020.
Charlie Cornish, chief government, MAG mentioned: “The UK authorities is among the many first to have set out proposals for a system that allows worldwide journey to renew and needs to be applauded for taking the lead.
“After greater than a yr of just about complete shutdown – and with so many roles and a lot financial worth at stake – it’s actually vital we get folks shifting once more as soon as it’s secure to take action.
“We now want Authorities to substantiate the Might 17th begin date as quickly as doable, together with the listing of nations that fall into every ‘site visitors gentle’ class.”
