One airline in support said: "We have been asking for more transparency for some time now and so we share the serious concerns being raised by MAG concerning the lack of transparency around government decision making.
On top of this, the travel industry believes the Balearic and Greek Islands should have been included on the green list of countries last month when health data was analysed. In a separate development, the bosses of Jet2 and EasyJet Holidays have told the BBC they do not understand why low infection destinations like Mallorca were left off the green list in the last review and questioned how government decisions are made.
The boss of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, wants Boris Johnson to explain the scientific basis behind the system which he says the government "seems to make up" as it goes along. Further signatories to the challenge are set to be revealed on Thursday. They are demanding a fast response as the crucial summer season edges closer. The government said at the time that moving Portugal from the green to amber list was necessary because of an increase in infection rates in the country, and the emergence of the "Nepal variant", a mutation of the Delta version of the virus first detected in India.
There were concerns that vaccines would not work as well on this particular mutation. The move meant that some British holidaymakers had to cut short their holidays and dash back from Portugal on extra flights put on by airlines before the country came off the green travel list in early June.
Travellers the BBC spoke to said it cost them hundreds of pounds to book new flights to get home before the deadline. Travel bosses are concerned the damage of these sudden reversals will continue to erode the confidence of the British travelling public. They maintain there is huge pent-up demand to travel abroad this summer, following three coronavirus lockdowns and huge numbers of cancelled or postponed holidays.
But epidemiologists worry that mass travel before more people are fully vaccinated, both in the UK and at holiday destinations, will allow the virus to spread more rapidly. And if Covid cases spiral suddenly on holiday islands, it is not clear if healthcare systems there are in a position to manage their care. A government spokesperson said: "We recognise this is a challenging period for the sector, as we seek to balance the timely reopening of international travel while safeguarding public health and protecting the vaccine roll-out.
The spokesperson added that the government could not comment on legal proceedings. Travel industry anger as Germans flock to Majorca. Ryanair is to stop all flights from both Belfast international airport and Belfast City airport, in a further blow to connectivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe.
The airline blamed government passenger duty and the absence of any Covid recovery incentives for the two airports. The decision comes at a challenging time for the airline industry and highlights the fragility of international connections to Northern Ireland when it is trying to drum up foreign investment in the post-Brexit business landscape by offering local firms access to the UK and the EU single market.
Ryanair pulled out of Derry airport earlier this year and only resumed flights to Belfast City airport in June, after an year absence, with eight new routes. It was plugging the gap left by FlyBe, which collapsed last year.
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