UK government relaxes Covid-19 travel restrictions

Market: Oil products
17/09/21

The UK government has today made considerable moves to relax and reduce its Covid-19 travel restrictions, removing eight countries from its 'red list' and reducing and simplifying testing requirements.

Making the most extensive changes to its pandemic travel restrictions for several months, the government has removed eight countries and territories from its red list — Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Oman, Egypt and the Maldives — so from 04:00 BST (03:00 GMT) on 22 September, travellers arriving in the UK from those countries will no longer need to quarantine in hotels.

The government is also simplifying its rules for international travellers to England from 4 October, transport minister Grant Shapps announced, replacing the three-tier 'traffic light' system with a single red list, scrapping the 'amber list', and simplifying testing requirements for travellers from a now-extended list of countries including Japan and Singapore, in addition to the US and Europe as currently.

With the main summer holiday season finished in the UK and Europe, air travel and jet fuel demand have begun to fall again across the region. Flight numbers have dwindled over the past fortnight, according to Eurocontrol data, as short-haul flight bookings with European airlines begin to slow from their peak in July and August. Flight departures from Europe had held steady since the first week of August — lagging pre-pandemic summer levels by 29pc — but numbers have started to ease off again. The further relaxation of the UK's travel restrictions though may encourage more bookings over the autumn and winter, giving some impetus to jet fuel demand.

By Gavin Attridge

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13/05/25

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