The government is being urged to work with the industry to get business travelling within seven days using travel corridors to replace blanket quarantine restrictions.
The Business Travel Association wants to see a new pilot scheme introduced that it claims can provide a “safe, secure” alternative to the two-week isolation for international arrivals which was introduced on Monday.
The scheme involves an ‘on the spot’ Covid-19 PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test for overseas business travellers arriving in the UK and Britons returning to the country.
The pilot could initially run for arrivals at any UK airport from the three most in-demand short-haul destinations for business travel – Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
Business travellers entering the UK could book a test appointment in advance for their arrival.
Travellers will be met at the airport, given a PCR test and then given the results in under an hour.
This would prevent any infectious travellers from embarking on public transport and enable international business travel to begin again.
The plan could be quickly implemented if the government works closely with industry leaders from across the sector.
The pilot would offer “a clear and tested route” to enable the government to lessen quarantine restrictions for business and leisure travellers.
BTA chief executive Clive Wratten and more than 20 chief executives from across the sector have suggested the initiative in a letter to home secretary Priti Patel and transport secretary Grant Shapps.
Wratten said: “This pilot can restore confidence across the business community that there is a practical, safe and immediate alternative to the stranglehold of quarantine. One which can enable travel to resume without further delay.
“Business travel contributes £600 million a day to UK GDP. It’s vital that we make this possible now and in doing so, re-ignite the British economy.”
He warned: “Without this scheme and under current quarantine measures, tens of thousands of jobs across the business travel supply chain are at risk of being lost forever.”