British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair launch legal action against UK's quarantine policy

British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair have launched legal action against the decision of the UK government’s mandatory 14-days quarantine policy for inbound travellers. British Airways’ parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) said in a statement that the action has been taken against the quarantine policy asking for a judicial review as soon as possible.

Earlier this week, British Airways had released a joint statement along with Ryanair and EasyJet urging the government to rethink the measures. Calling the measures disproportionate, the airline companies said that it is unfair on British citizens as well as international visitors arriving in 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 statement read.

Heavily-hit sector

The airline sector has already been reeling due to the travel restrictions imposed as a part of COVID-19 response and the mandatory quarantine could further hit the industry as tourists won’t prefer 14-days quarantine. The airline industry strongly objected the compulsory quarantine and on June 5, British Airways sent a pre-action letter to ministers.

Read: COVID-19: 14-day Quarantine Rule For Inbound UK Travellers Comes Into Force

However, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has maintained that the mandatory quarantine is backed by the science and essential to save lives. While acknowledging the difficulties of the tourism industry, Patel said that the government has announced an unprecedented package of support for both employees and businesses.

“But we will all suffer if we get this wrong. That's why it's crucial that we introduce these measures now,” she said.

The airline industry is already going through an unprecedented crisis which has forced companies to shrink the fleet and announce lay-offs. Last month, easyJet announced its plan to lay off 4,500 employees and shrink its fleet to cut down the expenditure, aimed at adjusting to the smaller market post-pandemic. Boeing’s chief executive recently said that the air traffic may not bounce back for two or three years to the pre-pandemic levels.

Read: COVID-19: Italy Reopens Borders To Europe, Scraps Mandatory 14-day Quarantine Rule