THE Covid travel requirements are unlikely to be lifted before February, aviation experts have warned.

Brits currently going on holiday must have a pre-departure Covid test before arriving in the UK, and a second one after arrival.

While it was hoped this could be lifted, with the restrictions to be reviewed on January 5, it is unlikely this will now happen as the UK government debate enforcing new lockdown rules due to the Omicron strain.

An aviation source told Travel Weekly they were "not optimistic", adding: "If there are a lot more restrictions domestically we’ll be in a very different ball game.

“We don’t think they’ll ban international travel.

"But it’s difficult to see them removing the test requirements [on January 5].

They also said that the pre-departure tests are especially unlikely to be scrapped due to fears of a new variant.

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They said: “Let’s hope by the end of January or beginning of February we see some easement.”

Holiday plans have already been left in ruin as a number of countries ban Brits while others enforce long quarantine periods.

Both France and Germany have banned UK arrivals, only allowing people in with exceptional reasons – scuppering any Christmas market and ski holiday plans.

Austria is enforcing a mandatory quarantine on Brits unless they have had their booster, while Morocco is yet to lift their flight ban on the UK which was introduced in November.

Here are the other travel rules and requirements currently in place for Brits.

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