Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and Ryanair are asking for transparency in how the Government categorises green, amber, and red countries.
MAG (Manchester Airports Group) and Ryanair are joining forces to launch a legal challenge calling for transparency in the Government's handling of the 'traffic light' travel system.
The challenge has been backed by a number of major UK airlines, with aviation authorities saying the Government has not been clear on how countries are determined to be listed as red, amber, or green in the traffic light system.
Claiming that the Government has a duty to explain how it makes decisions when categorising countries, and to publish supporting data, MAG and Ryanair hope more clarity will help the industry in determining when international travel will return, encouraging consumers to book to destinations not yet on the 'green' list.
Charlie Cornish, MAG CEO, said: ?The whole travel sector recognises the critical importance of protecting public health, and we have facilitated every measure the government has required in response to Covid-19. That is why we originally welcomed the Global Travel Taskforce?s traffic light system, which the Government said would be based on a ?a clear and consistent evidence-based approach to facilitate the safe, sustainable and robust return of international travel.?
?However, recent developments suggest that the Government is now unwilling to open up international travel by putting low risk countries on the green list. For most countries, the traffic light seems to be stuck on amber for no obvious reason, despite having prevalence rates much lower than the UK.
?The Government is not being open and we simply cannot understand how it is making decisions that are fundamental to our ability to plan, and to giving customers the confidence to book travel ahead."
