The UK Government has reverted to the testing requirements in place before November 26th, which means travellers are not required to take a pre-departure test and a lateral flow test upon UK arrival on day two, with only those testing positive requiring a PCR test to assist with genomic sequencing.
In a statement in response to UK Government changes to testing requirements, Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic said: “The removal of pre-departure testing before travel to the UK and costly PCR testing upon arrival is welcome progress and a necessary step towards frictionless air travel for our customers. Travellers can now book with confidence and look forward to reconnecting with loved ones and business colleagues. Meanwhile customer demand will be boosted in a critical booking window for the travel industry and vital testing capacity can be reallocated where it is needed the most - in hospitals, schools and crucial national infrastructure.”
He added: “We look forward to working together towards the next review at the end of January, when the ultimate goal will be removal of all testing for travel and developing a playbook for how to deal with any new variants.”