In a press release snuck out yesterday, the UK Home Office bowed to industry pressure and removed the requirement of a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for airside transit.
For now.
The Home Office said in its move.
Following feedback from the aviation industry, the government has agreed a temporary exemption for passengers who transit airside, and therefore do not pass through UK border control.
This move will primarily affect Heathrow and Manchester airports, as the only UK airports which currently offer transit facilities. The exemption will be kept under review.
For those passengers who use Heathrow or Manchester Airports and can remain airside to transit between flights, it means you do not need an ETA unless you are crossing the UK Border.
If you are using any of the other UK Airports to change flights (requiring entry into the United Kingdom), you will need an ETA to land in the country, before going to your next flight.
This comes after Heathrow Airport objected to the move, saying in the first phase, with the airport seeing 19,000 fewer transfers from Doha (one of the first countries that had an ETA requirement imposed on them.
The UK ETA requirement has recently been expanded, covering most of the countries that do not require a visa to enter the United Kingdom, as the country attempts to streamline and digitise the immigration process. The next step is for European Countries to apply for an ETA.
However, you might want to get that ETA sooner rather than later
In the same release, several fees that the Home Office charges are going up. This includes the Electronic Travel Authorisation fee rising to £16 per application from the current £10.
It’s part of the move for the Home Office to generate an additional £269 million a year via immigration charges.
It is subject to debate in Parliament and is subject to approval by both Houses. If approved, the proposed new fees will be introduced by amending separate legislation, the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018, as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
A little logic never hurt.
Like it or not, Heathrow (and to a point, Manchester) are transfer hubs, that allow passengers to switch flights. It seems that in the rush to digitise (as well as capture those useful pounds), the government has realised that they are going to be hitting businesses and passenger flows – which affect not just the home carriers (British Airways and Virgin Atlantic), but pretty much every airline that has a long or short haul connection through the place.
Extra charges for a hub airport are never welcome – which in Heathrow’s case could be crippling.
We’ll have to see how long this exemption is kept – but for transiting passengers, it’s one less thing to worry about.
It’s a shame that the UK Goverment and its Home Office have chosen to monetise its ETA requirement jumping 60% in cost.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon and Instagram!
Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
Leave a Reply