Regional 'air bridges' considered by Government to prevent placing an entire country in quarantine

Regional “air bridges” are being considered by the Government to allow travel to countries such as Portugal and the United States and stop entire nations being subject to UK quarantine rules.

The Department for Transport has told industry they are an option to create travel corridors with low-risk regions. Ministers are also exploring plans to test passengers for Covid-19 before or on arrival at UK airports to open travel with major trade partners like the US.

They could be be part of the second review of quarantine, due on Monday, when Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, will reveal if more destinations will be added to the 74 countries and territories exempt from the 14-day quarantine.

Portugal, which remains banned, has seen its cases reduce to 127 a day, the least since May 11. The Algarve, Madeira and the Azores are virtually clear but outbreaks in Lisbon have pushed its national rate to 41.75 cases per 100,000, above the rate for a national air bridge.

Spain has been hit by outbreaks in Catalonia, Aragon and the Basque country pushing cases to 4,581, the highest since April and a national rate of 27.39 cases per 100,000.

“Regional air bridges are an option for countries with localised outbreaks,” said a source. “The US is a major issue. If you judge it nationally, the absence of travel could go on for months, which is where individual testing of arrivals could work.”

Gloria Guevara, chief executive of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said: “We need to see only regional border measures so that the recovery of a country’s whole economy is not jeopardised in future.”

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways’ parent company IAG, and some of the world’s biggest airlines have written to Mr Shapps urging a joint US-EU Covid-19 testing programme for passengers to enable transatlantic travel to resume.

“A coordinated Covid-19 testing programme could be key to providing confidence to permit services to resume without quarantine requirements or other entry restrictions,” said Mr Walsh in his letter with Scott Kirby, chief executive of United, Carsten Spohr, chief executive of Lufthansa, and Doug Parker, chief executive of American Airlines.

Despite a series of discussions at political, diplomatic and technical levels, Portuguese authorities don’t appear confident of a much-hoped-for reversal.

Secretary of State for Tourism Rita Marques said she didn't expect the situation to change if the UK government kept using the same criteria.

She and her colleagues had been working to make sure the UK and other countries didn't use infection rate as the "only indicator" for border decisions.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman told The Telegraph the ratio between July 11 and 16 was 21.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, “slightly above the [20-case] threshold used as a reference by the UK Government”.

“Portugal has used as a reference the criteria favoured by the European Center for Contagious Diseases, criteria considered to be the most appropriate in view of the current pandemic situation,” she said.

“We have no indication about the possibility of any change related to the criteria used by the UK.”