UK drops Portugal from safe travel list in major blow to airlines

FILE PHOTO: A man looks at a check-in information board in the departures area of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain, May 17, 2021. REUTERS/John Sibley

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain removed Portugal from its quarantine-free travel list on Thursday, essentially shutting down the UK's international leisure market just weeks after it reopened and sparking outrage from embattled airlines.

The industry questioned why British people could not travel when the country had some of the highest vaccine rates in the world. Portugal said the decision lacked logic. Airports demanded a cash lifeline.