Augmented Capacity for a Tourism Company, Coordinating Mass Repatriations and Testing

Several hours before the U.K. Government officially announced that Portugal was to be downgraded from the travel 'Green List' to the 'Amber List', Inherent Risks was tasked with drawing-up a mass repatriation and Covid-19 testing plan for British travellers.

On the 3rd of June, we received a call at 7:15am from a travel company executive who explained that he had been given prior warning that an announcement would be made later that day by the British Government that could potentially mean up to four thousand British travellers would need to return to the U.K. from Portugal within 72-hours, and that the Government would not be providing assistance for this.

The travel company executive retained our services to provide a mass repatriation plan for its travellers, including a live assessment of how many seats were available across all commercial airlines, and timelines and costs involved to coordinate charter flights and Covid-19 testing.

Upon accepting our advice, the executive sent out an email to all of its travellers who had departed, or who were about to depart, to Portugal, ahead of the Government announcement, which by 9am was already being speculated by the media.

Assisting the travel company, a charter flight was placed on standby, and blocks of seats were booked with two airlines on returning flights before the 72-hour deadline was later announced.

Due to the proactive measures taken, all travellers who were given, and accepted, the option of returning early were booked onto flights, and transportation from the hotel to the airport was coordinated, resulting in positive reviews and comments being made online, and to the media upon their return back into the U.K.