AIRPORT bosses' prayers to scrap Covid tests for fully-vaccinated travellers have been answered by the Government.

Stansted operator Manchester Airports Group (MAG) had called for the removal of remaining testing requirements when the Government reviewed international travel restrictions this week.

It claimed governments are not able to introduce travel restrictions quickly enough for them to be effective in limiting the spread of new, more infectious variants.

MAG said there were industry-wide calls to scrap the remaining requirement for post-arrival lateral flow tests.

Bosses claim such measures only buy a handful of days in delaying the peak but would cost the UK economy between £8billion and £11billion a year.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps this afternoon said eligible fully-vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK will no longer have to take a post-arrival lateral flow test from 4am on February 11.

Braintree and Witham Times:

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps annnounced move in the Commons

He said: "Today I can confirm to the House that our international travel regime will also now be liberalised as part our efforts to ensure that 2022 is the year in which restrictions on travel, on lockdowns and limits on people's lives are firmly placed in the past.

"From 4am on February 11, and in time for the half-term break, eligible fully-vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK will no longer have to take a post-arrival lateral flow test.

"That means that after months of pre-departure testing, post-arrival testing, self-isolation, additional expense, all that fully vaccinated people will now have to do, when they travel to the UK, is to verify their status via a passenger locator form."

He added: "We promised we wouldn't keep these measures in place a day longer than was necessary and it's obvious to me now that border testing for vaccinated travellers has outlived its usefulness, and we're therefore scrapping all travel tests for vaccinated people.