The United Kingdom’s Heathrow Airport has called on the government to lift the £10 charge for the Electronic Travel Authorization requirement for internationals using airports in Britain to connect to other flights.
Heathrow argues that the new decision puts UK airports at a competitive disadvantage in comparison to other European airports, VisaGuide.World reports.
The government needs to exempt airside transit passengers from the ETA scheme to avoid encouraging passengers to spend and do business elsewhere. We need to level the playing field, so the UK aviation industry continues to be world-class.
Gulf Nations Solely Affected by ETA Enforcement
In November 2023, the UK’s government introduced the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for nationals of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates traveling to the UK, announcing that such changes would be applied to other countries from worldwide countries including the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Swiss nationals starting from 2025.
The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is an electronic system used to pre-check travelers reaching the UK and it is largely based on the US Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). The ETA system requires passengers to apply to enter the country before departing and pay a £10 fee.
As reported by the Guardian, the £10 fee applies not only to direct flights from the country but also to those who use UK airports for more than two hours in order to connect to other flights.
Heathrow Airport argues that since the implementation of ETA rules, there have been 19,000 fewer transit passengers from Qatar in the first four months, stressing that each month it recorded the lowest number of transiting travelers from Qatar in the past ten years.
This is a huge blow to UK competitiveness as many long-haul routes, which are highly important to the UK’s economy, exports and wider connectivity, rely on transit passengers. With more connecting passengers expected to choose other hubs as the scheme expands, ministers need to take action to remove this measure.
Local media report note that this year, Heathrow saw its busiest Easter weekend ever, with a total of 936,000 passengers over the bank holiday. In addition, in March, a total of 7 million people traveled through the airport, the most significant number recorded for that month.
UK Travelers Subject to New EU Rules
Once the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) becomes effective, scheduled for spring 2025, UK holidaymakers will have to apply online and also pay a fee of €7 (around £6) before traveling. The authorization is expected to be valid for a period of three years, or until their passport expires.