UK quarantine rules start amid row as airlines start legal action

The UK's contentious 14-day coronavirus quarantine rules took effect on Monday as three major airlines started legal action to have the measures overturned, claiming they were illogical.

British Airway's owner IAG, along with Ryanair and easyJet, sent a pre-action protocol letter setting out their objections to an order forcing overseas air passengers to self-isolate for 14 days .

Airlines and the broader travel industry have slammed the proposals, which they say were implemented too late to stop transmission of the virus and would deter people from travelling, killing off any hope of a recovery in the sector.

The trio of airlines argued in their letter that the measures were more severe than those applied where the risks are greater, and impose greater restrictions on arrivals than people infected .

They also objected that enforcement of the regulations as published appeared to apply only to England, with people arriving in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland possibly not facing the same penalties.

A Ryanair spokesperson, commenting on behalf of the three airlines, said: “These measures are disproportionate and unfair on British citizens as well as international visitors arriving in the UK."

"We urge the government 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.”

MEASURES ARE 'RUBBISH'

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said he would not cancel flights because “British people are ignoring this quarantine. They know it’s rubbish”.

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the government had rushed through the measures and that the airlines had a good chance of winning their legal action.

“We think that there’s enough evidence and there’s a strong case here that this should be challenged by the courts,” he told Sky News. “This is something that has been rushed through. It’s not in proportion.”

Lundgren also warned the quarantine would lead to more job losses. Last month, the airline said was planning to cut 30% of its workforce, some 4,500 jobs, because of the impact of the coronavirus on the aviation industry.

Asked if the quarantine could lead to more job losses, he said: “I fear so ... I think and I fear unless there is a change to this [the quarantine rule], that the aviation industry as we know it here in the UK will not be intact.”

The quarantine row came amid further uproar over BA’s plans to sack about 12,000 staff and lower the terms and conditions of remaining employees.

Pilots union Balpa told members on Saturday the airline had increased the number of pilot redundancies it was seeking by another 125 to almost 1,300, more than a quarter of the workforce and warned that BA had threatened to “force changes by terminating the employment of all pilots and offering individuals new contracts with associated new terms and conditions” if they could not find agreement.

Ministers and unions condemned the flag carrier’s actions. Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, which represents cabin crew, said: “BA and its owners IAG can afford to see out this crisis without such drastic cuts. This is a company with a lot of cash, strong assets and sustainable debt. The company controls some of the most profitable routes in the world and is backed by the Qatar royal family,” a 25% shareholder in IAG.