Not always the best of bedfellows, Alex Cruz of British Airways and John Holland-Kaye of Heathrow Airport have got together this morning (21 September) to issue the strongest condemnation yet of the British Government’s disastrous approach in not helping in any way the airline industry in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, and likewise the country’s international trade.

Holland-Kaye called it a “stark warning” and Cruz “Government inaction”.  

This follows a new report, jointly commissioned by Airlines UK, IAG, Heathrow Airport and the Collinson Group, which reveals the true economic and social impact of the closed borders between the UK and the United States.  The report concludes that while the closed border has had a major impact on the aviation sector, the effect across the entire UK economy is devastating.

Holland-Kaye made a practical suggestion. “We can start with flights to New York, a city where infection rates are now lower than here, and which is the UK’s most valuable route. PCR testing in private labs, both pre-flight and on arrival, would ensure that there is no risk of importing Covid-19 and could pave the way to a Common International Standard for aviation testing.”

The US represents the UK’s most important standalone trading partner. Almost 20% of UK exports are to the US. In 2018 these exports from the UK to the US were worth approximately £121bn, of which £52bn was trade in goods and £69bn in services. The US is also the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment to the UK, standing at £417bn in 2018.

This new review projects a catastrophic loss in trade between the US and the UK of £45.8bn due to closed borders, £12.8bn of which is due to fall in Q4.

The report highlights the Government’s refusal to allow the airport-based Covid-19 testing embraced by more than 30 countries around the world and is in use at more than half the world’s busiest airports including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Tokyo Haneda and Dubai International.

David Evans, Joint CEO of airport services company Collinson, said: “We’ve always known that travel brings an immeasurable value to economies as well as societies at large, but Covid-19 has put into perspective just how critical and quantifiable it is. Testing at the border has been extensively trialled internationally, in locations with very strong scientific oversight such as Germany and found to be a safe means to get the world travelling again. With our partners Swissport, we’ve built a dedicated Covid-19 testing facility which is ready for use at Heathrow but awaits Government approval.”

www.ba.com

www.heathrow.com

www.collinsongroup.com