Now that Israel has finally removed the United Kingdom (and all other countries) from its red list, classifying the British Isles as orange instead, the British airline plans to resume its flights to Tel Aviv, starting January 20.
In December, as reported on our Hebrew website, once the UK became “red,” both Virgin Airlines and British Airways ceased their operations on the Tel Aviv-London route.
Yet things are changing once again, and Israelis flying to the UK no longer require special approval. But that is not the only dramatic change.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also decided to ease entry restrictions on inbound tourism, following considerable pressure from the travel industry – arguing the measures are ineffective now that Omicron is widely and wildly spreading.
Therefore, as of last Friday, January 7, fully vaccinated passengers landing in the UK will no longer need to take a PCR test before their flight. Grandted, they will still have to perform a PCR test upon arrival but will no longer have to self-isolate while waiting for the results.
Moreover, as of today (Sunday, January 9), rather than taking a PCR test on day two of arrival, inbound passengers can take a cheaper lateral flow or antigen test.
Unvaccinated passengers are still required to take a pre-departure test, conduct PCR tests on days two and eight, and self-isolate for ten days.
In other related news, as reported on Passport.News in October, Nick Bettles, Commercial Manager of Virgin Atlantic in Israel, is leaving after two years at the helm, and the airline will soon announce the appointment of his replacement. Reports say the candidate might be from Israel this time.
