<article><p class="lead">The UK will end its remaining Covid-19 travel restrictions on 18 March.</p><p>The restrictions — tests for people arriving in the UK and passenger locator forms — will be ended at 04:00 GMT on 18 March, transport minister Grant Shapps said. He said the changes are possible because of the UK's vaccine roll-out.</p><p>The changes come in time for the Easter holidays next month, providing a boost for seasonal travel demand and jet fuel demand in turn.</p><p>The UK government first imposed travel restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus two years ago. It <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2304171">ended the last restrictions in England</a> — including testing and mandatory isolating — almost a month ago as new cases continued to fall.</p><p>But while travel demand starts to gradually recover from the pandemic and associated travel bans and restrictions, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said global air transport demand — measured in revenue passenger kilometres — in January was up by 82pc on a year earlier, but was still 50pc lower than in January 2019 before the pandemic started. Demand in Europe rose by 161pc in January from a year earlier.</p><p>Iata warned the conflict in Ukraine and the closure of airspace and sanctions are likely to have a negative effect on air travel demand in Europe particularly.</p><p class="bylines">By Gavin Attridge</p></article>
