A joint legal challenge against the government’s controversial 14-day quarantine measures has been launched today by British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair.
The bitter rivals have joined forces to oppose the isolation for international arriving passengers.
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No evidence of how and when air bridges will be introduced to low-risk countries has emerged, they argued.
A statement from BA parent company IAG said: “British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair have launched their legal action against the UK government’s flawed quarantine which will have a devastating effect on British tourism and the wider economy and destroy thousands of jobs.
“The airlines have asked for their judicial review to be heard as soon as possible.
“The airlines have not yet seen any evidence on how and when proposed ‘air bridges’ between the UK and other countries will be implemented.
“Instead, they want the government to re-adopt its previous quarantine policy introduced on March 10, where quarantine is limited to passengers from ‘high risk’ countries.
“This would be the most practical and effective solution and enables civil servants to focus on other, more significant, issues arising from the pandemic while bringing the UK in line with much of Europe which is opening its borders mid-June.
“The airlines’ legal challenge against the current quarantine period is based on, among others, (i) the fact this quarantine, by criminal law, is more stringent than the guidelines applied to people who actually have Covid-19, (ii) there was no consultation and no scientific evidence provided for such a severe policy (iii) that, for example, if you are a French or German worker commuting weekly to the UK you will be exempted, and (iv) the UK government is banning people travelling to and from countries with lower infection rates than the UK.”
The Quash Quarantine campaign welcomed the development.
Spokesman Paul Charles said: “The airlines’ legal action to seek a judicial review is a sensible, medium-term move to hold the government to account for implementing legislation that may turn out to have been unlawful.”
Quash Quarantine aims to remove the quarantine measures immediately, introduce ‘travel corridors’ from June 29 and remove the blanket Foreign Office advice against all non-essential travel.
More: Quarantine ‘will kill travel’ warns Emirates
‘Nearly 3m UK travel and tourism jobs at risk’ if quarantine maintained
Quash Quarantine collective seeks legal action against restrictions
