Britons going on holiday are being warned to expect big queues at UK airports due to a shortage of immigration staff.
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, yesterday relaxed controls countries on the amber list for Covid-19 risks, sparking a rush to book holidays in places such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.
Airline EasyJet PLC (LON:EZJ) today reported it had seen a 400% jump in enquiries, while British Airways (LON:IAG) has seen a surge in traffic to its website as people checked out potential flights overseas.
Shapps also said this morning that non-UK residents might also soon be able to come here without having to quarantine if they can prove they have had two jabs.
The current rules only apply to people who been vaccinated in the UK, but the government is working on a change, he said.
“We want to be able open that up for people. We’re actively working on it,” Shapps told Sky News.
“In the next couple of weeks I’ll be able to come forward and say more about other locations in the world.”
The EU has been running a digital Covid certificate scheme since the start of July everywhere but Ireland and Shapps flagged that there would be changes to the NHS’s app to incorporate European visitors.
However, the US will be more difficult he added most of the vaccination programmes are state-based and largely use paper.
More details about allowing in overseas-vaccinated visitors would be made within a couple of weeks, Shapps added
After the changes yesterday, UK residents going to an amber-listed country no longer have to self-isolate when they return, though they still have to have to take Covid-19 tests before coming back and within two days of arriving.
Shares in airlines rallied again today with easyJet up 2.3% to 938p, IAG up 2% to 185p and Ryanair PLC (LON:RYA) 2.1% up at €16.35.