UK ends travel restrictions, returns as No. 1 European aviation market
On 14-Mar-2022 the UK government announced the end of the remaining restrictions on international travel. From 4am on 18-Mar-2022 nobody arriving in the UK will need to take a test for COVID-19 or complete a passenger locator form - regardless of vaccination status. Hotel quarantine capacity will no longer be in operation from the end of Mar-2022.
The UK is one of the first large economies to remove all remaining COVID-19 international travel restrictions, reflecting government confidence in its vaccination programme. In the event of future COVID variants of concern, the UK says it will default to the "least stringent measures". This should give aviation operators and passengers greater security in planning for the future.
The UK suffered a bigger fall in capacity during the depths of the pandemic but recovered its historical position as Europe's biggest market by seats in Feb-2022. However, it is only at 67% of pre-pandemic seat numbers in the week of 14-Mar-2022. This compares with a Europe-wide average of 71%.
The end of international travel restrictions should ensure that the UK retains its lead.
Become a CAPA Member to access Analysis Reports
Our Analysis Reports are only available to CAPA Members. CAPA Membership provides exclusive access to in-depth insights on the latest developments in the aviation and travel industry, developed by our team of dedicated analysts located in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.
Each report offers a fresh perspective on the latest industry trends and is available online or via the CAPA mobile app, with customisable alerts to help you stay informed and identify new business opportunities.
CAPA Membership also provides access to our full suite of tools, including a tailored selection of more than 1,000 News Briefs every week and comprehensive data and analysis on thousands of companies around the world.