Heathrow rejects requests for extra flights from India ahead of 'red list' move

21 April 2021, 23:01 | Updated: 21 April 2021, 23:08

India will be added to the UK&squot;s "red list" from Friday
India will be added to the UK's "red list" from Friday. Picture: PA

By Patrick Grafton-Green

Heathrow Airport has refused requests for extra flights from India before the country is added to the UK's coronavirus "red list".

Four airlines asked for a total of eight extra flights to arrive at the west London airport before 4am on Friday.

Brits returning after that point will be forced to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.

READ MORE: Covid: India added to red list after new virus strain detected

READ MORE: Top clinician suspicious at timing of India red listing

Anyone who is not a UK or Irish resident or a British citizen will be banned from entering the country if they have been in India in the previous 10 days.

It is understood Heathrow declined the airlines' requests to ensure existing pressures at the border are not exacerbated.

India was added to the "red list" in response to mounting concern about the number of coronavirus cases there and the emergence of a variant.

Did the Government act fast enough adding India to the Red List?

Heathrow has seen long queues at border control in recent times as passengers have forms checked amid coronavirus restrictions.

An All Party Parliamentary Group on coronavirus heard on Tuesday that on average there are two to three hour delays at large airports like Heathrow.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

UK prisoners could be sent to Poland after new talks.

'Detailed prison maps' leak on dark web as fears grow of jail escapes

Two detained following Gatwick Airport bomb scare as police 'ramp up presence' in terminal

Two detained following Gatwick Airport bomb scare as police 'ramp up presence' in terminal

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor (centre) and partner Dee Devlin leave the High Court in Dublin after the personal injury case against him.

Conor McGregor raped woman in hotel, civil jury finds, as she is awarded damages

Donald Trump

Donald Trump hush money sentencing postponed as judge says president-elect can seek dismissal

Backpacker Sarisha said the Nana Backpackers Hostel offered free alcohol in exchange for good reviews

Hostel at centre of 'mass methanol poisoning' offered free shots in exchange for good reviews, backpacker claims

Parents of British lawyer killed in Laos 'mass methanol poisoning' pay tribute to 'kind and loving daughter'

Parents of British lawyer killed in Laos 'mass methanol poisoning' pay tribute to 'kind and loving daughter'

Queen Camilla to miss Royal Variety as she continues recovery following chest infection

Queen Camilla to miss Royal Variety as she continues recovery following chest infection

Gatwick South Terminal to reopen after bomb scare but passengers still face flight delays and cancellations

Gatwick South Terminal reopens after bomb scare but passengers still face flight delays and cancellations

London, UK. 22nd November 2024. Police cordon and firefighters on the scene at the Embassy of USA in London following a controlled explosion of a suspicious package. Credit: Vuk Valcic/Alamy Live News

Police say US embassy 'suspect package' was probably a hoax after carrying out controlled explosion

Many Britons again faced freezing temperatures overnight

Brits brace for Storm Bert: Met Office issues amber weather warning for snow - with up to 40cm set to fall

Harshita

'We will never forget you till our last breath': Family of Harshita Brella pay tribute - as manhunt continues for killer

Live
Gatwick airport.

LIVE: Gatwick Airport South Terminal evacuated after 'suspicious item found'

Exclusive
Negative images from Band Aid did 'more bad than good' for Africa, says rapper Fuse ODG

Negative images from Band Aid did 'more bad than good' for Africa, rapper Fuse ODG tells LBC

Gatwick Airport South Terminal evacuated after 'suspicious bag found near train station' as bomb squad called in

Gatwick Airport South Terminal evacuated after 'suspicious bag found near train station' as bomb squad called in

Simone White will be 'sincerely missed', a tribute to her has said

Devastated colleagues pay tribute to British lawyer as Laos ‘methanol mass poisoning’ death toll rises to six

Colette Fairbanks was sacked after sharing ‘offensive’ posts

Brexit views not protected from workplace discrimination, tribunal rules after woman sacked over ‘offensive’ posts