Aberdeen Airport boss issues dire warning on aviation jobs
The boss of Aberdeen Airport says ministers are "overseeing the demise of UK aviation'' as restrictions on travellers from Greece come into force in Scotland.
Derek Provan, chief executive of ASG Airports which runs Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton, said the sector was experiencing more job cuts amid the pandemic than seen in the coal industry in the 1980s.
Pressure is mounting on England to consider imposing quarantine rules on travellers arriving from Greece amid reports of people returning with coronavirus.
Rising Covid cases prompted the Scottish Government to announce travellers from Greece would have to self-isolate for 14 days from Thursday, while Wales began asking arrivals from the island of Zante to enter quarantine.
The UK's biggest tour operator Tui has suspended its holidays to the resort of Laganas on Zante.
But Greece has insisted it is doing "everything in our power'' to keep UK holidaymakers safe.
Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel, has urged Deputy First Minister John Swinney to urgently review his decision to impose a blanket quarantine on thousands of Scots holidaymakers travelling from Greece.
Ms Dobson said the action was “disproportionate” and asked for transparency from Mr Swinney on the number and origin of cases to explain why the whole of Greece had been targetted.
Ms Dobson said: “Once again, Scottish holidaymakers are faced with a disjointed approach and a decision that is out of step with the rest of the UK. It is a conflicting and confusing message for those due to travel.
“I would like to ask Mr Swinney for transparency regarding the figures of contracted cases coming from Greece to Scotland. We so far only heard about one confirmed case from Zante.
"At the moment, it appears that the blanket quarantine approach to the Greece is disproportionate and excessive. Greece is well below the 20 cases per 100,000 threshold that the UK governments use as a guide for imposing quarantine restrictions on returning travellers. And the rise in cases, as the Welsh Government have indicated, has been linked to the island of Zante.
"We would ask Mr Swinney to reflect on his decision and start to engage openly and transparently with the travel industry and holidaymakers so we can all make informed decisions about travel plans."
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