Airlines hit with 630 fines over missing coronavirus documents

Airlines have been hit with 630 fines for carrying passengers arriving in the UK without the proper paperwork since February 11, the Department for Transport said.

Carriers face fines of £2,000 for each passenger they carry to England who does not have valid proof of a recent negative coronavirus test or a completed Passenger Locator Form.

Passengers can be fined £500 if they do not have the documents.

Airlines can also be fined £4,000 for failing to inform passengers of the requirements before departure and during the journey, and £2,000 if they carry passengers who have been in a red list country in the previous 10 days to a non-designated port.

Fines are issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Carriers have already suffered a severe financial hit from the collapse in demand for air travel.

The DfT said the fines “form part of the UK’s tough border measures to protect the UK as the vaccine rollout continues to make progress”.

It added that Border Force is “currently checking every individual coming into the country, no matter where they have come from, and will continue to carry out thorough checks at the border to keep the public safe”.

Earlier this month, a Heathrow executive said arriving passengers are being forced to queue for up to six hours due to checks at the border.

Chief solutions officer Chris Garton told MPs that “the situation is becoming untenable” and the police have been forced to step in.