Manchester Airport Group (MAG), which owns Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports has teamed up with Ryanair to launch a legal challenge against the UK Government over its traffic light system.
Backed by other UK carriers, the two companies are calling for more transparency around how the government decides which countries qualify for the green list of safe places to visit amid the pandemic. Court papers are due to be filed on Thursday 17 June with both Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, and Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, named as defendants.
The traffic light system rates countries green, amber or red depending on their COVID risk, with ministers saying the system as “cautiously manages the risk of new variants.”
The judicial review has been prompted by the lack of transparency in how the government determines how countries are placed on the traffic light lists – earlier this month Portugal was unexpectedly moved to amber.
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, described the UK’s traffic light system as a “complete shambles.” He also said this “go-stop-go-stop policy is causing untold damage to the aviation industry and frustrating and upsetting millions of British families when they see their holiday plans and family visits disrupted by the government’s mismanagement of international travel.”
Meanwhile, at the beginning of June Charlie Cornish, MAG CEO, said: “We were told the traffic light system would allow people to travel safely, with the right measures in place to manage risk for different countries.
“But it is now clear the government doesn’t trust its own system and that international travel is being unfairly scapegoated, with tens of thousands of jobs placed at risk in the process.
“Low-risk destinations continue to be left off the green list despite clear evidence they are safe to visit. With case rates lower than the UK, we simply cannot understand why the likes of the Balearics, the Canaries and some Greek islands do not fall into that category.
“If we followed approach taken across Europe, lots of other countries – like the US, Germany and Italy – would also be classed as green. Instead we’re stuck with a system that is clearly not fit for purpose and will deny people the opportunity to travel abroad safely this year.”
He also noted that the lack of transparency is “shocking and totally unacceptable,” as he advised that “If the government has information that supports its decisions, then it needs to publish it. We have repeatedly asked for this data, but we are being left in the dark about how it is making these choices, with no opportunity for scrutiny or challenge.”
With huge pent-up demand to travel abroad this summer, further signatories to the challenge are set to be revealed on Thursday 17 June to demand a rapid response as the crucial summer season edges closer.
