The framework was set out by transport secretary Grant Shapps, with the report detailing how “international travel could resume from 17 May at the earliest in an accessible and affordable way”.
The government said this would include the removal of the existing “permission to travel form”, meaning passengers would no longer need to prove they have a valid reason to leave the country.
A traffic light system to categorise countries by their Covid situation was also confirmed, but the government said it remained too early to predict which countries would be on the red, amber and green lists.
These details will follow “by early May”, along with confirmation of whether international travel will in fact be able to resume from 17 May. The allocation of countries will be kept under review, with a particular focus on “variants of concern”, it said.
Restrictions will be formally reviewed on 28 June, with further formal reviews taking place at checkpoints “no later than 31 July and 1 October”.
Meanwhile, a new “green watchlist” will be introduced to help identify countries at greatest risk of moving from green to amber status, which the government said would “provide greater assurance for those who wish to travel abroad”.
Elsewhere, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is to be given additional enforcement powers to act on airlines that have breached consumer rights, with a dedicated consultation on how to use new tools to enforce consumer rights set to take place later this year – a move the government said would “further boost consumer confidence”.
A Covid-19 charter will also be introduced from 17 May, setting out what is required of passengers and what their rights are while measures remain in place.
On testing, the government said this would remain an essential part of protecting public health as restrictions begin to ease, with all arrivals who are not exempt required to book a pre-departure test, as well as day two and day eight tests before travelling.
