Javid, a former banker, chancellor of the exchequer and home secretary, took over from disgraced predecessor Matt Hancock at the weekend.

Javid told parliament he intended to meet with the transport secretary Grant Shapps “as soon as I can” to discuss border controls and restrictions and reiterated plans for a domestic unlocking on 19 July, saying the date would be “the end of the line” for lockdown.

Dale Keller, chief executive of Bar UK, which represents UK airlines, said the organisation had already written to Javid and was optimistic his business experience would be good for the industry.

“It’s early days, but Javid demonstrated his political morals when he resigned as chancellor by not accepting interference in his team. Having been chancellor, he will have an intimate knowledge of the economy. I think sometimes that balance has been missing.”

Javid’s appointment comes at a critical time for the industry.

“We’re entering more of an endemic situation where there has to be a much more risk-managed approach with balances,” said Keller. “I think he will forensically look at everything and probably bring a much more economic and business approach in conjunction with health measures to get that balance the industry has been calling for.”

ITT chairman Steven Freudmann said Javid’s early comments about not delaying the 19 July lifting of restrictions “do give us cause for confidence”.

“I think he does understand business better than his predecessors,” he said.

However, Freudmann said government still lacked a coordinated approach.

“The problem is, as we’ve found for the last four decades, there’s not joined-up government – the difficulty is in pinning down the person responsible. 

“Clearly the delay by three hours of the last (traffic light) announcement was because they were still arguing at the eleventh hour. This appalling traffic light system is something which is the collective responsibility of perhaps half a dozen senior politicians. I hope Javid will bring clarity.”

Aito director Noel Josephides added: “It’s early days, but at least Javid is talking about us having to learn to live with Covid and opening up generally; he seems to have more of a business focus than Hancock ever had.

“The best thing he could do is to let us know now when he hopes or plans for the restart of travel, to allow us to plan for it in turn – specifically for double-vaccinated people being able to return from amber destinations without self-isolating. The travel industry can’t suddenly open up overnight with a last-minute ‘go!’ statement – it takes time.”

One section of the corporate travel sector was also cautious in its response.

Abby Penston, chief executive of the Focus Travel Partnership consortium, said: “The new health secretary Sajid Javid has said that it is his intention to drop restrictions. We have heard similar intentions before. If he means them, then that is great and, yes, a responsible removal of restrictions on 19 July will provide much-needed confidence.”

However, she cautioned: “As we have seen this week, when it comes to international travel and this particular pandemic, it is the intentions of other countries, their views of the UK and the risks we pose as well as their vaccine take-up routes which form key parts of this particular jigsaw.”