Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways’ parent IAG, warns of ‘further chaos and hardship for travellers’ if the UK government re-imposes quarantine rules for Portugal.
The destination looks set to return to the UK’s quarantine list following a rise in Covid-19 cases – just two weeks after being removed.
Reports say there were 21.1 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Portugal for the seven days to August 30.
More: Algarve tourism chief defends Portugal’s Covid record
Any figure above 20 means the government will consider the imposition of 14 days of self-isolation for travellers returning to the UK.
Walsh wrote in The Times: “Another U-turn by the government, adding Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause further chaos and hardship for travellers.”
He said the “ever-changing” quarantine requirements meant “the UK has officially hung up the ‘closed’ sign”.
His comment piece in The Times added: “The government is using arbitrary statistics to effectively ban 160 countries and in the process destroying the economy. The government needs to introduce a testing regime to restore confidence.”
Tourists who booked last-minute holidays after the quarantine rule was lifted must wait until Thursday for the weekly Department for Transport review to find out if the restriction will be re-imposed.
Paul Charles, chief executive of PR consultancy The PC Agency, said on Twitter: “A tough call for @transportgovuk in this Thursday’s weekly review as #Portugal now moves firmly into the red zone for quarantine while #Gibraltar still tops the list. Timing may help as most #British tourists will be heading home this week.
“But I’d expect @transportgovuk to take a tough line on re-adding #Portugal to the quarantine list, supported by #NicolaSturgeon. Also note the surge in cases in #Jamaica, rising higher up the list with 244 cases yesterday.
“Greece sees a drop, good news for many, while #Italy is inching closer to the amber zone.”
Mon update: A tough call for @transportgovuk in this Thursday’s weekly review as #Portugal now moves firmly into the red zone for quarantine while #Gibraltar still tops the list. Timing may help as most #British tourists will be heading home this week. #coronavirus@ThePCAgencypic.twitter.com/07UAotbheD
— Paul Charles (@PPaulCharles) August 31, 2020
Pilots’ union Balpa welcomed Walsh’s comments and also called for testing rather than quarantine measures.
Brian Strutton, Balpa general secretary, said: “We’ve had serious disagreements with Willie Walsh and BA management over the years, but on this, he is absolutely right.
“Back in June I said that the then-proposed quarantine measures would be ‘…like hanging up a ‘Britain is closed’ sign and the whole economy will lose out as a result.’
“Walsh is right: the closed sign needs to come down.
“The travel and tourism industry, so vital to the UK economy, is dying before our eyes. And thousands of jobs are being lost. Passenger confidence is suffering because, perfectly reasonably, people don’t want to be confined for 14 days on their return.
“The government should support this industry which was the first in and will likely be the last one out of the current crisis. And at the very least they should stop making matters worse.”
The lifting of quarantine requirements for holidaymakers returning from Portugal has boosted late bookings and enquiries for agencies.
Rob Kenton, managing director at Triangle Travel, said the addition of Portugal to the ‘safe list’ had sparked a flurry of interest from customers, mostly couples, who are keen to book city breaks and winter-sun holidays to Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve.
Airlines such as Tui and Ryanair have also added extra flights in response to the lifting of quarantine rules for Portugal.