UK government set to scrap all travel rules for England

Government ministers are expected to agree to scrap all England's remaining international travel restrictions.

Currently, everyone travelling to the UK must complete a passenger locator form before they arrive.

Travellers who are not fully vaccinated have to take a Covid test before departure, fill in the form, and book and pay for a PCR test after arriving.

The date these requirements will end has not yet been confirmed.

It is not yet clear if the other UK nations will follow suit, although they have done on previous occasions when travel restrictions have eased.

People planning an overseas trip will still need to be aware of other countries' entry rules.

Testing requirements for fully-vaccinated arrivals into the UK were dropped in February.

The latest move will be welcomed by the travel industry, which has campaigned for the remaining rules to be dropped so businesses can take full advantage of strong summer holiday demand.

However, as Covid restrictions recede, other headwinds are appearing.

The price of jet fuel has soared as a result of higher crude oil prices. This adds to cost pressures on airlines, although some have been protected by their hedging strategies, whereby they purchased fuel in advance at lower prices.

On Friday, the chief executive of Heathrow airport, John Holland-Kaye, said the recovery of aviation remained "overshadowed by war and Covid uncertainty".

Businesses will also be keeping a careful eye on whether consumers' confidence to book is knocked by the war in Ukraine and rising household bills squeezing disposable incomes.