Easing travel restrictions is a‘step forward’

The easing of restrictions around international travel should help bolster the aviation industry, bosses at Glasgow Airport have said.

The Scottish Government confirmed on Friday that fully vaccinated people flying to Scotland will no longer be required to undergo a pre-departure covid test.

It means anyone arriving from countries which are not on the red list – and who have been fully vaccinated in a country that meets recognised standards of certification – will no longer be required to provide evidence of a negative test result before they travel.

The move sees guidelines in Scotland aligned with those announced by the Westminster government earlier in the week.

Derek Provan, chief executive of AGS Airports Ltd, which owns and operate Glasgow Airport, said:“While this is something we have been urging the Scottish Government to do for months, and the subsequent delay has negatively impacted the industry in Scotland and AGS as a group, it is a welcome step forward.

“By ensuring Scotland has parity with the rest of the UK, this decision is one that will deliver much-needed consumer confidence for our passengers to start travelling again and for our airline partners to look at increasing capacity at our airports.”

He added:“A number of restrictions on travel still remain in place and we are not yet back to anything like normal operations, but we will continue to engage with government to ensure the safe return on international travel continues and that we can rebuild the connectivity that plans a vital role in supporting our economy.”

The planned travel changes, which come inform force on October 4, will also see lateral flow tests accepted instead of more expensive PCR tests for those asked to undergo a covid test upon arriving in the UK.