The U.K. scrapped a pre-departure Covid-19 test requirement for vaccinated travelers entering the country, after airlines hard-hit by the omicron variant lobbied for the rules to be eased.

A test will still be required within two days of entering the country, but the requirement for a costly PCR test will be eliminated, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament on Wednesday following a regular three-week review of travel rules. Vaccinated arrivals must produce a negative result from a less expensive lateral-flow result instead. The changes take effect on Friday.

Loosening the requirements will bring some relief to airlines after tougher border rules tied to the spread of omicron stifled air travel over the year-end holiday. While governments have introduced a slew of restrictions in response to the new variant, evidence is growing that it produces milder symptoms than earlier Covid waves.

The pre-departure test “discourages many from traveling for fear of being trapped overseas and incurring significant extra expense,” Johnson said.... Read More: Bloomberg