The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Airport chiefs slam unclear travel advice
Edinburgh Airport bosses have criticised “two tier” travel advice for confusing fliers and delivering “no real public health benefit that we could understand”.
The airport’s managers have submitted evidence to a Westminster inquiry into the future of Scottish airports.
The Scottish Affairs committee inquiry, headed by SNP MP Pete Wishart, has begun taking evidence.
The Edinburgh team also said there was no end to Covid-19 restrictions in sight.
“There is no plan to return to a situation like prior to the pandemic, in which people can travel without further tests or forms to fill out,” their submission states.
Karen Dee from the Airport Operators Association spoke on the opening day of the inquiry, Monday.
She described Covid-19 as “absolutely devastating” to the aviation industry.
It was one of the first sectors to feel the effects of the pandemic and will likely be one of the last to recover, she added.
She warned airports in mainland Europe are more likely to recover quicker.
Edinburgh Airport’s written evidence hit out at both Scottish and UK governments for divergent “two tier” travel advice.
Bosses at the airport said this “confused airlines, passengers and created
difficulty for no real public health benefit that we could understand”.
The Scottish affairs committee inquiry is exploring the impact of the pandemic on Scottish airports.
It will ask how falling passenger numbers have affected communities as well as exploring environmental concerns.
Earlier this year, airport bosses across Scotland called on Holyrood to relax quarantine rules in line with England.
Getting back to prepandemic levels will take a long time, according to managers at Edinburgh Airport.
The facility is losing “millions per month.”
The UK Government did
not respond to a request for comment.
A Scottish Government spokesman said there has been “regular engagement” with the aviation sector.
“International travel restrictions have been significantly relaxed, but some measures remain necessary to limit the importation of the virus and variants of concern.”