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Manchester Airport bosses call to end ‘expensive’ PCR tests as UK travel system is ‘holding back’ recovery

"The government must act urgently and re-evaluate the need for expensive PCR tests."

The Manc The Manc - 13th August 2021

Manchester Airport Group (MAG) has called for an end to “expensive” PCR tests in a statement claiming the country’s travel system is “holding back recovery”.

The UK’s largest airport group – which owns London Stansted and East Midlands airports as well as Manchester – has published its figures for July, which show that passenger levels were 81.4% down on July 2019, when the group served 6.5 million passengers.

Just 1.2 million passengers were served in the same month this year.

MAG said that since the review of the traffic light system on 4 August – which saw more countries added to the green and amber lists – passenger volumes have picked up slightly, but still remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels.

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With just three weeks of the peak summer season remaining, MAG said the requirement for passengers to pay for PCR tests, even when fully vaccinated and returning from low-risk destinations, was “out of step” with the rest of Europe and holding back the recovery of UK airports and airlines.

Manchester Airport Group (MAG) has called for an end to “expensive” PCR tests / Credit: Twitter (@manairport)

CEO Charlie Cornish said: “While it is encouraging that more people are taking the opportunity to go on holiday or visit friends and family overseas, we are still yet to see a meaningful recovery in international travel.

“UK passengers continue to be subjected to onerous and expensive PCR testing on the basis they will be sequenced to protect the UK from variants of concern.

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“But it is clear this is not happening.”

Figures released by MAG from data obtained by Airports Council International show that Europe’s airports have already recovered to around 59% of pre-pandemic levels, compared to just 28% in the UK.

The government has said that PCR testing is needed to identify variants of concern, but MAG bosses say the latest official data shows only around 5% are actually being sent for sequencing.

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MAG therefore says this “brings into question the need for passengers to take these tests”.

The group claimed in a statement that the country’s travel system is “holding back recovery” / Credit: Manchester Airport

“Passengers – especially those who are fully vaccinated – will be right to question why they are forced to pay the extra cost for tests which are not being used in the way we were told they would be,” Cornish continued.

He added: “We need a simple and sustainable system for travel, which people can understand and that is proportionate to the public health position here in the UK.

“The government must act urgently and re-evaluate the need for expensive PCR tests.”

Featured Image – Manchester Airport

News

‘Significant risk’ of UK gas shortages this winter, regulator warns

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Energy regulator Ofgem has warned that the UK faces a ‘significant risk’ of gas shortages this winter.

According to reports in The Times, the regulator has unveiled concerns that the country could face blackouts over the coming months thanks to an undersupply of gas to Europe caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Warning that a “gas supply emergency” could be looming ahead, the energy regulator has said that some gas-fired power plants could see their supplies cut off, which in turn would stop generators from producing electricity.

The alert comes just days before an expected update from the National Grid on the likelihood of countrywide power cuts this winter.

Responsing to arequest from SSE, which owns several gas power stations, Ofgem outlined what is set to be a huge issue of concern given that the UK relies on large gas plants to produce the biggest share of its electricity supply.

The regulator also pointed to rules that could see power plants penalised as a result of shortages, warning of a worst-case scenario that would see the “potential insolvency of gas-fired generators” caused by rules that require plants to pay huge charges if they fail to deliver on promised quotas.

Adding that the issue must be addressed to prevent a “significant impact on the safety and security of the electricity and/or gas systems”, the regulator echoed concerns now widespread in Europe as its comments followed a similar statement made by the International Energy Agency (IEA) this morning.

Europeans are already being told they must lower their thermostats and boilers in preparation in case gas supplies are cut off, with Paris-based agency IEA warning today that the EU must focus on getting underground gas reserve levels to 90% of capacity in case of a complete Russian supply shut-off.

Preparation are already being made in Europe with the German government having approved a set of energy-saving measures for the winter to limit use in public buildings. In France, meanwhile, companies have already been warned they may face energy rationing this winter. 

Whilst the UK government is yet to announce any energey saving measures, Ofgem has said that it expect s“this winter to be more challenging than last year” and that it is taking “reasonable regulatory steps to mitigate and reduce the risks”.

Read more: 11 arrests after mass brawl breaks out before Oldham vs Wrexham game

However, there are concerns that if gas-fired power plants incur costs these could, in turn, lead to energy bills rising for consumers once again.

SSE estimated that it could be fined as much as £276 million for every day it is unable to generate power, rising to £475 million for its largest plants.

This risk, it said, will force generators to reduce their advance sales and could end up “raising costs for electricity consumers” in the long run.

Feature image – Wikimedia Commons

News

Passenger killed as car fails to stop for police and smashes into parked vehicles

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

A man has died after a car failed to stop for police and crashed into two parked vehicles in Bolton.

The man, who was in his 30s, was the front-seat passenger in the Nissan that was involved in the incident.

A woman in her 30s, also a passenger in the vehicle, has also been taken to hospital with serious injuries, which aren’t thought to be life-threatening.

The incident occurred on Lever Edge Lane in Bolton, shortly after 2am on Sunday 2 October.

The driver of the vehicle has been arrested for causing death by dangerous driving and remains in hospital with serious injuries.

It has now been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, in line with standard procedure.

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GMP are appealing for anyone with information to come forward, particularly dashcam footage of the collision.

A statement said: “Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the collision should call GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 8564741 quoting log number 0334 of 02/10/22.

“Information can also be reported online or by using the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk. If you can’t report online, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter here.

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