With the Foreign Office advising against almost all non-essential travel, Airlines UK and ABTA have demanded a review of the approach.
ABTA and Airlines UK hope to lessen the impact of the new testing regime and begin to recover industry jobs which may be at risk if the travel sector does not begin to support leisure travel.
With the new Test to Release scheme coming into place on December 15, allowing for reduced quarantine periods, trade associations Airlines UK and ABTA have said the number of travellers is unlikely to significantly increase as the Foreign Office still advises against all but essential travel to most countries. This advice tends to invalidate travel insurance, meaning most potential business and leisure customers don't travel as they're reluctant to go against government advice without insurance.
They are encouraging the government to review travel advice to countries where infections are comparable or lower than the UK and have developed public health responses to the pandemic.
Chief executive of Airlines UK, Tim Alderslade, said: ?The government has taken welcome steps over the past couple of weeks to open up international aviation, but airlines will only be able to fully take advantage of the Test to Release scheme - and realise the demand for travel that we know exists - if the travel advice is looked at in parallel. At the moment, this incoherent approach risks adding to the tens of thousands of job losses we have already seen, which have devastated the aviation sector this year. Reviewing travel advice will give our beleaguered industry its own much needed ?shot in the arm? this winter.?
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA, said: ?While the introduction of Test to Release does open the door for some international travel, the reality is that the Foreign Office still advises against travel to most countries. As long as that remains the case, there is no recovery in sight for the travel industry."
