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BA boss urges government to ‘work with us, not against us’
British Airways chief executive Alex Cruz has said the airline will only survive if the UK government works with it and heeds its call for action on airport testing.
Writing in the Telegraph, CEO Alex Cruz said the aviation sector was fighting ‘for its very survival’.
Cruz said: "These are the toughest times in the history of the aviation industry.
"British Airways can survive, but only if the Government will work with us, rather than against us.
"What is hugely frustrating is that we know people want to travel, to fly, whether to see friends or family, to see business contacts face-to-face, or to recharge on the beach.
"But without a rigorous, reliable coronavirus testing programme – together with a sensible approach to quarantine – people’s plans are being unnecessarily grounded."
He criticised the government for delaying its decision on whether to give the go ahead to testing at Heathrow using facilities the airport has already built to provide PCR tests to arriving travellers.
"British scientists are leading the way in developing reliable coronavirus tests which could be used to enable the UK to start trading effectively again," he said.
"Airports like our home Heathrow have testing stations set up and ready to go, but their teams are standing idle waiting while our Government sits on its hands.
"Thirty other countries have introduced airport testing to unlock the problem, so my question to Government is, why can’t we?
"Ministers must work with international partners to agree on a universal arrivals and departures testing process. Just as safety agreements are mutually recognised internationally, so should health standards."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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