EasyJet cancels Aberdeen flights as travel industry pleads for help

EasyJet has cancelled plans to run four flights a week between Aberdeen and Manchester.

Aberdeen Airport bosses say the move is down to Scottish Government restrictions.

People from north of the border are being told not to travel to the English city for non-essential reasons due to the case numbers there.

The route was scheduled to launch on July 9.

Mark Beveridge, operations director, said: "This is hugely disappointing news from easyJet.

"Following the Scottish Government's announcement that non-essential travel between Scotland and Manchester is currently not permitted, the airline are no longer able to operate its planned new route from Aberdeen to Manchester.

"We can’t continue like this and urgently need help and a plan that sets out how we can work towards the safe restart of travel."

It comes as staff at Aberdeen Airport are among industry representatives taking part in a day of action over Covid-19 restrictions.

Workers from across the sector - including airlines, airports, tour operators, travel agents and suppliers - are aiming to raise awareness of the challenges they are facing.

They are also calling for the Scottish and UK Governments to make restrictions "more proportionate" - including expanding the green travel list - and to bring forward a package of tailored financial support.

Staff at Aberdeen have taken a stance by using the semaphore signalling system to spell out 'help'.

Mr Beveridge said: "As summer begins the UK’s travel and tourism sectors face a critical moment. Before the pandemic hit, our industry was a cornerstone of the UK economy.

"Our airport remained open and operational to support reduced schedules that consist of lifeline routes to the Highland and Islands, air ambulance flights and vital hub connectivity for key workers in the energy sector.

"Today, as the wider domestic economy reopens, and edges closer to normality, the UK travel and tourism sectors remain essentially closed, mired in uncertainty and deeply concerned for our future.

"The traffic light system launched by government has failed to deliver a meaningful restart to international travel as promised. Rather than promote safe travel where possible, the government instead seems determined to stop people travelling and is ignoring the very risk-based system they established.

"Backing the travel industry now will help to position us to ensure we can act as a driving force in the long-term economic recovery of the UK."

The Scottish Passenger Agents' Association has released the results of a survey - which it claims shows 96% of Scots who have travelled overseas during the pandemic felt very or fairly safe.

The group claims just 4% of travellers felt not very safe, with none reporting that they did not feel safe at all.

President Joanne Dooey said: "We’re hoping that the first minister comes to meet us to explain why, despite a world-beating vaccination programme and easily accessible, albeit expensive testing, we’re further behind at opening up travel than we were 12 months ago when we had no rapid testing and no vaccination.

"Our survey of ordinary Scots shows that almost two-thirds of Scots feel devastated, disappointed, confused or upset at the current travel restrictions and more than half (57%) would travel overseas within the next 12 months if they were able - with 17% of all surveyed saying they would be willing to travel in the next 3 months or sooner.

"We want the Scottish Government to show us their data, to trust the vaccine and to make testing more affordable."

Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel - which has a branch in Aberdeen - said: "Literally millions of people who work in the travel industry have lost their jobs, millions more fear for the future and are suffering every day while governments continue to restrict travel without constructive engagement or support for the industry.

"At the same time, by constantly lurching in and out of policy, they’ve created huge confusion and inflicted even more economic pain on the travel industry and our customers with no real regard for the consequences.

"This is no idle warning – the UK travel industry is at risk. The ongoing financial distress, uncertainty, cancellations and industry-wide job losses are taking their toll in more than just a professional capacity. 

"I have daily conversations with colleagues, peers and business owners whose mental health has rapidly deteriorated as a result of the situation our industry finds itself in.

"I have listened to stories of depression, marriage break ups, financial ruin and people who genuinely feel like they can’t go on because of the stress and worry they face day in, day out. Colleagues across our industry are suffering enormously because of the uncertainty they face."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We do not underestimate the significant impact the pandemic continues to have on the tourism sector, both outbound and inbound.

"International travel restrictions are important in limiting the importation of further cases of the virus, in particular new variants, which could undermine the rollout of our vaccine programme.

"Wide-ranging measures have been put in place to help the sector. Scotland is offering the most comprehensive non-domestic rates relief in the UK for retail, hospitality and aviation and this includes travel agents. We were the first country in the UK to extend 100% non-domestic rates relief into 2021-22.

"The business minister also met with the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association and ABTA yesterday to hear directly the sector’s concerns and consider options.

"The financial challenges facing the travel agents’ sector cannot be resolved by the Scottish Government alone: a UK-wide solution is necessary in order to mitigate the financial challenges. We have written to the UK Minister for Business and Industry seeking a dialogue on this issue.”

A UK Government spokeswoman said: "Our international travel policy is guided by one overwhelming priority: protecting public health.

"Decisions on traffic light allocations take into account a range of factors including genomic surveillance capability, transmission risk and variants of concern, with data behind decisions to move countries on the list published online.

"We keep all measures under review and continue to engage with industry and international partners to explore how we can open international travel safely. Both tailored and wider economic support is still available to the sector, including the furlough scheme."