Travel industry stakeholders are calling for ‘alternative measures’ such as regional air bridges to be implemented after the UK government removed Spain from the travel corridors exemption list yesterday (26 July).

Under new rules, those arriving in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland from Spain will now be required to self-isolate for a fortnight. Those who are in Spain will have to quarantine on their return to the UK.

The Department for Transport and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office took the action, which has attracted a backlash from travellers and the travel and tourism sector since its announcement on Saturday (25 July), due to a spike in the number and frequency of confirmed coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Spain over the past week.

In comments shared with TRBusiness, François Bourienne, Chair of the UK Travel Retail Forum (UKTRF) said: “The UK Travel Retail Forum strongly supports travel rules that put public health and safety first. However, the government’s decision to re-introduce quarantine requirements for passengers returning from Spain will likely do further damage to an industry just beginning to recover from the crippling effects of the Covid-19 outbreak.”

UK AIRPORTS ATTACK ‘BLANKET QUARANTINE’

Bourienne continued: “UKTRF joins other industry participants in calling for an urgent review of the viability of alternative measures such as testing or more regionally targeted quarantine rules based on local risk factors.

“The UK travel industry has already suffered substantially since the outbreak of Covid-19. UKTRF will continue to support its members and urges the government to give the industry the best possible opportunity to get back on its feet.”

The development will do no favours for Spain’s tourism and travel retail industry. Dufry boasts concession agreements with 25 Spanish airports operated by AENA and extended these in September.

A spokesperson declined to comment when approached by TRBusiness, stating: “We continue not to comment on single countries and locations, particularly as the situation is so volatile.”

AENA has been contacted for comment. The Airport Operators Association (AOA), which represents UK airports, has urged the government to exclude the Balearic and Canary Islands from the quarantine and replace the blanket policy for Spain with a risk-based approach allowing travel to safe destinations such as Lanzarote, Majorca and Ibiza.

Shortly before this report went to press, the UK government updated it travel advice urging against all non-essential travel to Spain to include the Balearic and Canary Islands.

The government says the decision was based on evidence of increases in cases in several regions, particularly in Aragon, Navarra and Catalonia (which include the cities of Zaragoza, Pamplona and Barcelona).

As of 27 July, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Spain totalled more than 272,400, with more than 28,400 deaths [source: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control].

Flights to the Balearic islands traditionally account for 15% of all flights departing UK airports in August and 27% of all flights at airports outside London, according to the AOA drawing on Civil Aviation Authority statistics. Just shy of 2.4 million travellers flew to the Spanish islands in August last year.

“It is of course right that public health concerns remain at the forefront of the government’s response to Covid-19, but the re-introduction of a blanket quarantine measure that covers the Balearic and Canary Islands is the wrong approach and risks further damaging the fragile re-start of the aviation sector,” commented Karen Dee, Chief Executive, AOA.

“The government must look urgently at introducing air bridges on a regional basis which would allow travel to islands such as Lanzarote, Majorca and Tenerife, where infection rates are lower, to continue. By cutting passengers off from these islands, the government risks cutting off airports’ recovery, before it has even begun.”

Other measures include testing, the AOA suggested to TRBusiness earlier today, to facilitate safe travel in the current circumstances. But the association states that government must work to open up more routes as soon as it is safe to do so as the air transport industry works tirelessly to restart operations.

WHITEHALL: WE MUST TAKE ACTION

“UK airports have already lost around £2 billion since the start of the pandemic and this announcement reinforces the fragile nature of the industry and the urgent need for the government to provide support for our beleaguered airports as we continue to face pressures unimaginable only six months ago,” added Dee. 

“The Government has acted with urgency to re-introduce quarantine measures for Spain based on public health concerns, but we must not allow this to usher in a return to an illogical, ill-conceived and misguided policy. They must act with the same urgency to exempt those islands where a quarantine is wholly unnecessary.”

Quoting a government source, the BBC has claimed that talks are taking place with Spain about lifting quarantine rules for the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has defended the swift decision compelling tourists from Spain to quarantine based on the real-time data received by the government.

He told Sky News’ Sophie Ridge on Sunday programme: “We can’t make apologies for doing so; we must be able to take swift, decisive action particularly in relation to localised [outbreaks], or internationally in relation to Spain or a particular country, where we see we must take action.”

The risk of reinfection into the UK, potentially a second wave and a further lockdown were the risks of non-action, he maintained.

As reported, Ryanair is continuing to operate services to and from Spain despite the quarantine decision.

Jet2 has suspended flights and holidays to Costa de Almería, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia from 28 July up to and including 16 August. The airline was operating flights and holidays to the Balearic and Canary islands, but in view of the updated FCO travel advisory has now told customers due to travel to Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza not to travel as it will no longer serve flights to the destinations.