Southend Airport has welcomed the news of more countries being added to the ‘green travel list’ but has called for the Government to subsidise test costs for those journeying abroad.

Seven countries will be added to England’s green travel list from 4am on Sunday, the Government announced on Wednesday.

Anyone returning from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway will no longer need to quarantine on arrival.

France will also lose its confusing “amber plus” status which has meant all travellers, and not just those who are not fully vaccinated, have had to self-isolate for 10 days upon return.

Glyn Jones, CEO of London Southend Airport, said: “The update to the green list is welcome news and offers further confidence to passengers and those considering a trip abroad. London Southend Airport has seen passenger numbers increase in recent weeks and this is projected to continue. However, numbers remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

“Whilst we are pleased to see further destinations turning green, we continue to encourage government to provide clear and consistent messaging to the public, subsidise testing costs and collaborate with Europe for a unified approach.”

The costs for PCR tests – required when travelling to and from red and amber list nations – can add hundreds of pounds onto the cost of a holiday.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the rollout of vaccinations in the UK and overseas means changes to the travel lists are being made every three weeks, compared with once a week last summer.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I hope people will be able to go away under this simplified system, enjoy their breaks and not be looking over their shoulders the whole time.”

India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will be moved from the red to the amber list, meaning arrivals will no longer have to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel.

There are currently 24 countries on the green list, including the popular holiday destinations of Barbados, Croatia and Malta – unfortunately 16 of these are on the “green watch list” meaning they could suddenly be moved to amber.

Australia and New Zealand are both unambiguously green – but neither are welcoming British travellers at the moment.

This is how the travel lists will look for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 4am on Sunday:

Green list:

Anguilla

Antarctica/British Antarctic Territory

Antigua and Barbuda

Austria

Australia

Barbados

Bermuda

British Indian Ocean Territory

Brunei

Bulgaria

Cayman Islands

Croatia

Dominica

Falkland Islands

Faroe Islands

Germany

Gibraltar

Grenada

Hong Kong

Iceland

Israel and Jerusalem

Latvia

Madeira

Malta

Montserrat

New Zealand

Norway

Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Taiwan

Turks and Caicos Islands

Amber list:

Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Armenia

Aruba

Azerbaijan

The Bahamas

Bahrain

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

Bosnia and Herzegovina

British Virgin Islands

Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

China

Comoros

Congo

Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue

Cote d’Ivoire

Curacao

Cyprus

Czech Republic (Czechia)

Denmark

Djibouti

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Estonia

Fiji

Finland

France

French Polynesia

Gabon

The Gambia

Ghana

Greece

Greenland

Guadeloupe

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Honduras

Hungary

India

Iran

Iraq

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kiribati

Kosovo

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macao

Madagascar

Malaysia

Mali

Marshall Islands

Martinique

Mauritania

Mauritius

Micronesia

Moldova

Monaco

Montenegro

Morocco

Nauru

Netherlands

New Caledonia

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

The Occupied Palestinian Territories

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Poland

Portugal (except Madeira)

Qatar

Russia

Samoa

San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Solomon Islands

South Korea

South Sudan

Spain

St Kitts and Nevis

St Lucia

St Maarten

St Martin and St Barthelemy

St Pierre and Miquelon

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Tajikistan

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United States

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Vietnam

Wallis and Futuna

Western Sahara

Yemen

Red list:

Afghanistan

Angola

Argentina

Bangladesh

Bolivia

Botswana

Brazil

Burundi

Cape Verde

Chile

Colombia

Congo (Democratic Republic)

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

French Guiana

Georgia

Guyana

Haiti

Indonesia

Kenya

Lesotho

Malawi

Maldives

Mayotte

Mexico

Mongolia

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nepal

Oman

Pakistan

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Reunion

Rwanda

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Tanzania

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Uganda

Uruguay

Venezuela

Zambia

Zimbabwe