BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton said:

“The over cautious announcements from Stormont and the Welsh Assembly are further blows to the summer recovery of the travel industry.

“Airlines and airports and all in the travel sector, can’t keep changing plans at the drop of a hat.

“The vaccine roll out is going well and people are wanting to return to normality, but instead we have chaos and confusion. We should be a step closer to concrete dates for the re-opening of the US-UK corridor and global travel. Instead we have further uncertainty and the farcical situation that the Government isn’t even providing enough border control staff to operate the checks that it [Government] has insisted on.

“The latest announcement from Portugal highlights the lack of international cooperation. It’s hard to see any co-ordination across the UK let alone in Europe and around the globe.

“People need clarity, certainty and the confidence to book travel without the goal posts constantly moving. We need concrete re-opening dates and the re-opening of the US-UK corridor, because the sector can’t survive endlessly with no plan in sight.”

“This is another bitter blow that undermines all the work being done to rebuild public confidence and ensure the future of UK aviation.”