May 31st - What is Brexit's role in the present travel chaos?

We need to talk about Brexit – and its role in the present travel chaos. Of course Amsterdam and Dublin airports are seeing long queues, but leaving the EU has subtracted staff from airlines and airports in the UK to an alarming degree.

As I write on 31 May 2022, I note that a year ago we had only just been released from the 19-week international travel ban; Portugal was the only major country on the quarantine-free “green list” (a status it would lose just days later).

The UK aviation industry was crushed, and every time it tried to rise from the wreckage of hopes, dreams and profits the government would come up with another nonsensical rule to discourage travel. Who could forget “amber plus”, the category invented just before the main summer holidays started in July 2021 that had no rational basis whatsoever yet served as an effective ban on travel to France.

I've been roundly heckled for suggesting that leaving the EU is to some extent responsible for the current problems we are seeing . Yet I cannot recall seeing an airline cancelling 10 per cent of its Gatwick schedule because of staff shortage, as easyJet has, nor a holiday company (Tui) axing 30,000 holidays due to insufficient ground handling at Manchester.

Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.