Airlines comment on the announcement by the Civil Aviation Authority on Heathrow passenger charges

Commenting on the announcement this morning by the Civil Aviation Authority on Heathrow passenger charges, Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:

“The CAA is our last line of defence against a monopoly-abusing hub airport. Monopolies will always try it on and that’s why we need a strong regulator to clamp down on what is blatant gouging. How on earth can it be in the interests of consumers to ramp up charges by as much as 50%?

 

“Passengers need to be front and centre here – it’s Heathrow’s shareholders and not our customers who should be asked to foot the bill. We will oppose this in the strongest terms.”

Airlines respond to PCR test removal date for vaccinated passengers

Commenting on the announcement that PCR tests will be removed for vaccinated passengers returning to the UK from 24 October, Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:

“This is great news and we’re pleased to get it over the line in time for the crucial half-term period, which will be a massive relief to families desperate to get away this autumn. Vaccinated passengers can be reassured that they do not need to book or take an expensive PCR test when they return to the UK, which will further reduce the cost of travel.  

“It adds to the positive news from last week with the substantial reduction of the red list and announcement of further mutual recognition of vaccines, and taken together this is a major step forward that will support the desperately needed recovery of our sector.”

Airlines UK response to latest Red list update

Commenting on the latest Red list update, Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:

“We welcome the significant reduction of the Red list as another positive step towards normalising air travel and reopening our sector. This builds on recent changes that have seen travel to many more countries become easier and cheaper for passengers, progress we hope towards removing all test requirements for the fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

However, it is disappointing for our customers to have no definitive clarity yet on when the lateral flow changes will be introduced. With the crucial October half-term just two weeks away we urgently need clarity so that passengers can plan ahead. This is the key booking period between now and Christmas, so time is of the essence.”

UK Airlines respond to the reopening of international travel to the United States for vaccinated UK citizens – “This is a major breakthrough which coupled with the removal of travel restrictions announced last week represents a substantial reopening of UK aviation”

Commenting on the reopening of international travel to the United States for vaccinated UK citizens, Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:

“This is a major breakthrough which coupled with the removal of travel restrictions announced last week represents a substantial reopening of UK aviation. The US is one of our most important markets and the air corridor is worth billions of pounds a year in trade and tourism – safeguarding thousands of jobs. Things are moving in the right direction and Ministers deserve credit for getting us to this point. We look forward to seeing the full details so airlines can support seamless implementation in November.

 

“Obviously, there is more to be done – including the relaxation in due course of restrictions for unvaccinated passengers – but for now there is light at the end of the tunnel following 18 months of unprecedented uncertainty.”

Airlines UK Respond to Changes to Foreign Travel Restrictions

Commenting on the Government announcement on international travel, Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:

“This is a positive step which moves us much closer to the reopening of UK aviation and provides greater reassurance to passengers desperate to travel. By reducing the number of red list destinations and scrapping PCR testing, Ministers have paved the way for people to get away this October half-term and into the winter following 18 months of uncertainty. It will provide a real shot in the arm for a sector that until now has not been allowed to trade properly. 

 

“That said, the insistence on keeping Day 2 testing still leaves us as an outlier across Europe, given most EU countries long ago removed this as a requirement for vaccinated passengers, and it is unclear why the UK has chosen to remain a special case. Until all restrictions are removed for the fully vaccinated the recovery can never be complete. But this is an excellent step forward.”

Aviation Jobs in Great Britain Dashboard

A new report, commissioned by Airlines UK and supported by Heathrow Airport, Manchester Airports Group and TUI, shows how critical aviation jobs are to every community and constituency in the country. Use this interactive data dashboard to examine detailed analysis for each constituency.

Please find our jobs dashboard here:

Data shows just how important aviation is at a local level. Pre-pandemic, over a quarter of all constituencies in Great Britain had more than 1,000 people employed in aviation jobs. Many communities are heavily reliant on aviation, with 5,000 or more residents employed in the sector within airlines, airports or aerospace manufacturers and their suppliers. A further 60% of constituencies in Britain have 500 or more residents working in aviation, demonstrating the wide reach and importance of aviation as a generator of jobs across the whole country.

Importantly, these are well-paid jobs, with average salaries in airlines, airports and aerospace in all cases exceeding the regional average, and between 22% – 60% above the national average.

Read the full report here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airlines UK response to latest country list update

Commenting on the latest country list update, Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:

“This cycle needs to change. Despite nearly 80% of over 16s being fully vaccinated the UK remains an outlier, with only a small number of ‘green’ destinations making international travel from the UK more expensive, burdensome and uncertain compared to our neighbours despite most travel abroad being no riskier than our unrestricted travel within the UK. Too many families are having to look over their shoulders for rule changes, and pay through the nose for tests – with no sign from Government that this will change. 

As has already happened across Europe, it’s time for a more proportionate system where tests are dropped for the fully vaccinated and from destinations where Covid risks are low, with tougher measures targeted at a small number of high risk countries.”

The Economic Impact of Night Flying in the UK

In early 2021, Airlines UK, working with a number of industry partners, commissioned York Aviation to undertake an assessment of the economic impact of night flying in the UK. The primary purpose of this report is to update, refresh and extend previous research undertaken in this area to provide a strong evidence base as to the economic benefits associated with night flying that will assist policy makers and other stakeholders in making informed judgements around future night flying policy.

The study focusses on providing a profile of and assessing the economic impact of night flying in the UK in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a deliberate choice, as it provides the best basis for considering the role of night flying in the medium to long term.

Read the report here:

Airlines respond to latest international travel announcement – “international travel has not had anything like the reopening it was hoping for”

Commenting on the Government announcement made today on international travel, Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:

 

“This is another missed opportunity and with the summer season nearing its conclusion means international travel has not had anything like the reopening it was hoping for. This puts us at odds with our European neighbours and clearly does not represent the liberation of aviation that the Prime Minister has spoken of.

“Alongside the continuation of expensive testing and a much smaller than hoped for expansion of the green list – which makes less sense by the day given where we are with the vaccination programme – this is yet another blow to the sector and families desperate to get away, and means the UK continues to open up far slower than the rest of Europe.”

UK airline CEOs letter to the Transport Secretary ahead of this week’s review of the traffic light system

Ahead of the Government’s review of the traffic light system this Thursday, UK airline CEOs wrote to the Transport Secretary outlining the key requirements for the review:

 

Dear Secretary of State,

 

As leaders of UK aviation, we welcomed this week’s announcement that fully vaccinated travellers from the EU and US will be exempt from quarantine requirements. Having fallen far behind our competitors, this is a positive step that will help close that gap, reunite families, and get businesses moving again.

However, we must now build on this momentum by adding more countries to the Green list next week and by reducing the still onerous and increasingly disproportionate burden of testing on travellers. We are increasingly concerned that the UK is not on a path to a sustainable recovery of aviation, due to the continued restrictions that are being imposed on international travel.

In the UK our ‘vaccine wall’ means over 70% of people are now double jabbed and nearly 90% have had a single dose. Case numbers are dropping. Vaccination patterns are similar in many of our key markets not least in the EU and US and latest data from Canada shows vaccines to be highly effective against all variants, including Beta. PHE’s own data shows both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines offer extremely high protection against hospitalisations from Delta, 75% after one dose and 94% protection after two.

The world has changed since the inception of the traffic light system, and ‘Green status’ should increasingly become a default, given the changing risk equation, and mirroring the approach to domestic restrictions. On this basis there is no reason why, and it is essential, that much of Europe including the key volume markets, the US, Caribbean and other major markets, cannot turn green next week in time for the remainder of the summer peak.

If the testing regime remains in place, with its cost and administrative burden, it will have a huge impact on UK aviation – acting effectively as around a £100 tax on flights, on average. It is unclear whether the Government has understood this risk. We have seen no evidence that this regime is necessary for fully vaccinated travellers or those from Green countries, or that effective, cheaper rapid tests cannot be used from higher risk destinations.

We are today seeing no real recovery in customer confidence. The UK aviation recovery is far behind countries in Europe. Travel bookings in Germany are now at 60 per cent of 2019 levels. France is at 48 per cent. Here in the UK, we are booking just 16 per cent of trips compared to pre-pandemic. This is not sustainable.

Despite tentative steps forward, time is fast running out to put the UK’s aviation, travel and tourism industries back on track for a sustainable recovery to protect the millions of jobs they support. We cannot afford to stand still over this vital summer period, and urge you to act.

 

Yours sincerely

  • Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive, Airlines UK
  • Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic Limited
  • Johan Lundgren, Chief Executive Officer, easyJet
  • Sean Doyle, Chief Executive, British Airways
  • Steve Heapy, Chief Executive Officer, Jet2.com Limited
  • Jonathan Hinkles, Chief Executive, Loganair
  • Edward Wilson, Chief Executive, Ryanair DAC
  • Andrew Flintham, Managing Director, TUI UK & Ireland