Two of the world’s biggest airlines will trial fast-track lanes at Heathrow airport for arrivals who are fully-vaccinated
Under the trial scheme, passengers on four routes will be able to upload their vaccination status before they board.
The trial by both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic comes as the aviation industry is calling for quarantine-free travel into the UK from lower-risk countries on the UK’s travel amber list.
The UK’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is set to be announcing such a trial scheme this week.
This comes after Health Secretary Sajid Javid will make an announcement later on the self-isolation changes within England for those who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. He also said that daily cases of infections “could go as high as 100,000” when coronavirus restrictions were fully lifted.
The move comes just days following the UK government announcing that most lockdown measures within England would be eased from the 19th of July as previously planned.
Earlier in the week, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that Mr Shapps would update MPs on plans for international travel and the removal of “the need for fully-vaccinated arrivals to isolate when they return from an amber list country”.
However, as cases are continuing to rise in the UK, health experts have highlighted that no coronavirus vaccines are truly 100% effective against the disease.
The nation’s most popular holiday destinations are currently on the amber list, meaning that people travelling to those countries must isolate for up to 10 days on their return back into the UK.
The trial, which is due to start this weekend, will allow for passengers who are fully vaccinated and are travelling on selected flights into Heathrow from Athens, Los Angeles, Montego Bay and New York to show proof of their fully-vaccinated status.
People that are taking part will be able to use a dedicated arrivals lane when at the UK border.
It is hoped that this trial will “reassure” the government that both airlines and airports can check for their vaccine status of those travelling abroad away from the border, which would reduce the pressure put upon UK immigration halls.
This comes after the school bubble system in England is being scrapped and only those who have tested positive for COVID-19 will have to self-isolate. The education secretary said he recognised the school isolation bubble system is causing disruption to many children.
The trial will accept internationally recognised COVID-19 vaccination credentials including the NHS app, CDC card and US state-level digital certification, as well as the EU digital Covid certificate.
Those taking part in the trial will still have to follow all the rules according to the government’s traffic light system; book all the required tests and quarantine if they come from an amber list country.
Chief executive of Heathrow Airport, John Holland-Kaye, told the BBC’s Today programme: “At the moment the main barrier to people who have been doubly vaccinated travelling being allowed to do that, is being able to demonstrate to the government that we can check that they’ve had the vaccination already.
“The trial that we’re starting later this week will allow us to demonstrate we can do that safely with 100% checks on double vaccination before people get on the plane.”
