The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has prosecuted Blue Air Aviation, a low-cost airline based in Romania, for numerous breaches of COVID regulations.
The carrier pleaded guilty on six offenses and has been fined £40,000, according to the CAA’s press release.
Five of the offenses were for Blue Air failing to ensure that a passenger had completed the Passenger Locator Form, while the sixth was levied for not ensuring that a passenger had completed a pre-departure COVID-19 test.
The CAA said that Blue Air had previously received Fixed Penalty Notices, but had failed to pay them.
This is the first prosecution of an airline under the new COVID Enforcement Regulations.
“It is important that airlines including Blue Air continue to engage with us going forward. The UK Civil Aviation Authority will always look to prosecute breaches of compliance where necessary,” Paul Smith, consumer director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said.
Along with other nations, the UK tightened its COVID-19 restrictions, as well as its enforcement, in November and December 2021 following a surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Blue Air flies to a total of four destinations in the UK – London Heathrow (LHR), London Luton (LTN), Liverpool (LPL) and Birmingham (BHX). However, according to the CAA, the offenses were committed on Blue Air’s flights to Heathrow.