UK Airlines Mount Legal Challenge Against the Govt.

British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair have started legal procedures against the UK government over the introduction of a mandatory 14-day quarantine measure for travellers arriving in the country from 8 June.

The three airlines sent a pre-action protocol letter to the government on 5 June, describing the measure as “disproportionate and unfair on British citizens”.

The following is the statement described in the letter sent on Friday.

A Ryanair spokesperson, commenting on behalf of British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair said:

“The pre-action protocol letter sent on Friday was signed by British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair. These measures are disproportionate and unfair on British citizens as well as international visitors arriving in the UK.

“We challenge the UK Govt on a number of defective measures, including (i) the fact the this quarantine is more stringent than the guidelines applied to people who actually have COVID-19, (ii) that if you live in Scotland to date the rules won’t apply, (iii) that, for example, if you are a French or German worker commuting weekly to the UK you will be exempted, and (iv) that the UK Govt is banning people from countries with lower R rates than the UK.

“We urge the UK Govt to remove this ineffective visitor quarantine which will have a devastating effect on UK’s tourism industry and will destroy (even more) thousands of jobs in this unprecedented crisis”.

The government plans to review the measure by 29 June, 2020.