In the United Kingdom, the waves are high due to the Corona classification of the countries. For example, the government put Portugal on the red list, which leads to mandatory quarantine when returning to or entering the UK.

This decision has been heavily criticized by British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair, among others. The IAG subsidiary describes this as "disappointing and confusing". With reference to the high vaccination rate, the UK would be able to classify significantly more states green.

"No more countries to be put on the Green List when most of the infection rates in Europe are declining and many places with low infection rates are below those in Great Britain, such as the Balearic Islands with a current rate of 33 per 100.000 and Malta with Malta only 12 out of 100.000, that makes no sense. Especially when domestic travel within the UK is allowed, although in some cities the infection rates are 20 times higher than in large parts of Europe, ”says Easyjet boss Johan Lundgren. "As our European fleet prepares for summer as European governments open up travel to their citizens, the UK government is making it impossible for airlines to plan while UK consumers remain grounded."

The background to the anger is that the British government put Portugal on the amber list on Thursday. At the same time, no other states were classified as green. The aviation and travel industries criticize the fact that there are numerous countries in Europe that have lower new infections than the UK. John Holland-Kaye, head of London Heathrow Airport, also joins the criticism and speaks, among other things, of the fact that the government has failed to create rules for vaccinated people. If you don't give in, the summer of 2021 would be lost for the industry.

The low-cost airline Ryanair cannot understand the decision of the UK government either. In an initial statement it is written that there would be no justification for the reclassification of Portugal.