9th April 2021
Responding to the UK Government’s announcement on a traffic light system for the restart of international travel, Dr Liz Cameron OBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:
“Whilst this announcement does not give a full and meaningful restart to the aviation and tourism industry, there are signs of green shoots emerging. The new green category does not require burdensome quarantine measures, giving some element of confidence to passengers and airlines. We will want to know the list of countries and travel criteria as soon as possible to give the industry and consumers time to prepare for re-opening, booking journeys and planning with confidence and clarity.
“The proposed testing and quarantine regime addresses some of our concerns but will still add significant costs that could restrict the industry’s customer base and limit destination options. Our airport operators have already invested millions in effective testing: the UK Government needs to quickly consider and explore affordable options which have been proven to be equally as effective.
“We still have remaining concerns that there is not yet a four-nations approach to the restarting of international travel, with potential disparity between the nations of when and where people can travel. We need a joint approach across the nations if Scottish businesses have any chance of rebuilding and retaining jobs. Failure to do so will only add further confusion and massive financial impact on Scottish airports and its supply chain.”
