LIFT-OFF! Air Bridges Get the Green Light from 69 Countries

British holidaymakers will once again be able to jet-off to a sun-soaked beach as England announces air bridges between 69 countries

With the announcement that England have come to agreements with 69 countries, holidaymakers in Northern Ireland are one step closer to a foreign holiday.

Countries on the approved air bridge list include Spain, France, Italy and Germany.

Travellers heading to and returning from the countries on the newly released list will not have to quarantine on arrival or return.

While the current air bridge agreement applies to England only for the time-being, it is hoped that the agreements will adopted by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland shortly.

The air bridges come into effect on July 4.

The FCO has also updated its global advisory against ‘all but essential’ travel, exempting destinations that no longer pose an unacceptably high risk for British travellers.

Countries have been rated on the prevalence of COVID-19, the trajectory of the disease and the reliability of data.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change was “good news for British people and great news for British businesses.”

He said: “The entire nation has worked tirelessly to get to this stage.

“Therefore safety must remain our watch word and we will not hesitate to move quickly to protect ourselves if infection rates rise in countries we are reconnecting with.”

The full list of exempt countries and territories are:

Europe

  • Austria
  • Andorra
  • Belgium
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (overseas territories of France are listed separately, where included in the exemption)
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Monaco
  • The Netherlands (not including the constituent countries and special municipalities located in the Dutch Caribbean)
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (only The Azores and Madeira)
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey

Americas

  • Antigua & Barbuda
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Bermuda
  • Canada
  • Cayman Islands
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Jamaica
  • Martinique
  • South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Pierre and Miquelon
  • St Vincent and The Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos Islands

Asia-Pacific

  • Australia
  • Brunei
  • French Polynesia
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan
  • Macao
  • Malaysia
  • New Zealand
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Africa
  • Reunion

Antarctica

  • British Antarctic Territory

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