British Airways’ parent IAG is speaking to lawyers today about mounting a legal challenge to the Government’s quarantine rules due to come into effect on Monday.
Chief executive Willie Walsh told Sky News he expects other airlines to mount legal challenges, saying the aviation industry had not been consulted on the 14-day mandatory quarantine period for UK arrivals.
He told Sky News in a video interview the plan is irrational and disproportionate and has ‘torpedoed’ any opportunity for BA to get flying again in July.
The quarantine is due to be reviewed in three weeks and the Government has already said it is looking at putting quarantine-free ‘air bridges’ in place between the UK and countries with low Covid-19 rates.
Advantage Travel Partnership and the SPAA wrote to Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary earlier today saying they were ‘heartened’ by the promise of air bridges but said it was critical they were put into place sooner rather than later.
They identified a wishlist of 10 countries they want the Government to prioritise when air bridges are put into place. These were Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, France, Iceland, Egypt and Malta.
