The Sussex airport also argued for fully vaccinated people returning from amber countries to no longer have to take any Covid-19 tests, while non-vaccinated travellers should just be required to take a single lateral flow test.

Gatwick said that unless the government simplified the testing regime, then the UK aviation sector risked lagging behind Europe and the US.

The airport made the plea as financial results revealed that it catered for just 569,000 passengers during the first half of 2021 as lockdowns and travel bans took their toll in the first few months of the year. Gatwick made a loss of £244.6 million for the six months to the end of June.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “I remain certain that Gatwick will recover and as a business we are financially and operationally well placed for that. 

“We are in danger of squandering the advantage that vaccination programme has afforded us for international travel. Our government needs to act now and remove unnecessary and costly PCR testing requirements for passengers, particularly for those double vaccinated. 

“UK travel recovery should not be allowed to lag behind the US and Europe. Passengers need the travel rules simplified so they can choose to travel more freely and enjoy much-needed breaks and reunions with family and friends which are currently much more attainable for those in Europe and the US.”