Airlines challenge UK quarantine policy in London's High Court

The government introduced a blanket rule that all travellers arriving from abroad must self-isolate for 14 days on June 8, arguing it was a crucial step to avoid a second wave of COVID-19. The airlines, which grounded planes due to the pandemic, criticised the quarantine policy, saying it dealt a catastrophic blow to the industry's hopes of recovery in the summer, and that they had not been consulted on the move.

Lawyers for three of Europe's biggest airlines said the British government's quarantine rules for travelers were irrational and disproportionate at the opening of a High Court challenge to the policy in London on Friday.

The legal action by British Airways, EasyJet, and Ryanair proceeded despite the government saying the policy would be ended for English holidaymakers to countries such as France and Spain, as the full list of countries impacted by the change had not been published. The government introduced a blanket rule that all travelers arriving from abroad must self-isolate for 14 days on June 8, arguing it was a crucial step to avoid a second wave of COVID-19.

The airlines, which grounded planes due to the pandemic, criticized the quarantine policy, saying it dealt a catastrophic blow to the industry's hopes of recovery in the summer, and that they had not been consulted on the move. They are seeking a judicial review of the rules. They also queried their scientific basis.

Tom Hickman, representing the airlines, contrasted the blanket quarantine policy with the targeted restrictions to travel around northern Italy when it was an early epicenter of the pandemic. "The fact that (travelers) are entering the UK from a COVID-19 hotspot could provide some justification, but the mere fact that they are entering the UK cannot," he told the court.

"The measures as a whole lack of rational connection to the objective of reducing the overall incidence of COVID-19 in the UK." In documents released ahead of the case, government lawyers said there was no duty to consult airlines on the policy, and that the government had taken scientific advice to inform its response.

"The regulations are in any event a justified and proportionate means of protecting public health in the face of the pandemic," the government's lawyers said.