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LONDON (Reuters) – The UK government said on Saturday it would grant financial aid to airports before the end of March, after the industry called for urgent support as stricter COVID-19 rules for international travelers would start on Monday.
Aviation Minister Robert Courts said the government would launch a new support program this month.
“The airport and ground operations support program will help airports reduce costs and we will aim to provide grants before the end of this fiscal year,” he announced on social media, adding more details would follow. soon.
At 4:00 a.m. GMT on Monday, all travelers to Britain must undergo a recent negative COVID-19 test and be ready to be quarantined at home for 10 days upon arrival.
Current restrictions in Britain prohibit most international travel, which means airline schedules are currently minimal. But the removal of all non-quarantine travel will be another blow to the industry.
The latest restrictions were prompted in part by a third wave of the disease which has caused a record daily death toll in Britain, as well as concerns over a new variant of the coronavirus discovered in Brazil.
London’s second airport, Gatwick, said the support would help preserve jobs at a time when it had suffered a sharp reduction in passenger numbers.
Karen Dee, chief executive of the UK Association of Airport Operators, said ahead of the announcement that the government needs to move beyond existing support which includes a temporary exemption from local property taxes.
Reducing the costs of regulation, policing and air traffic control would help, she added.
Courts did not report any support for airlines, which benefited from public holiday programs but received little direct assistance.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of industry body Airlines UK, has called for plans to relax travel rules by Easter, ahead of the peak spring and summer break.
“The airlines have stayed in business by taking on billions of pounds of debt that will need to be repaid,” he said.
Reporting by David Milliken; Edited by Frances Kerry and Dan Grebler
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