A new travel traffic light system has been introduced this week in an attempt to make UK travel “easier and cheaper”.

The UK’s traffic light system involving green, amber and red lists has been scrapped, with locations categorised as either on the red list or not.

We have rounded up the red list destinations that you can currently travel to from Manchester airport so you can make an informed decision about where to book for your next getaway.

Charlie Cornish, CEO of the Manchester Airport Group, said: “The simplification of the UK’s international travel system, including doing away with pre-departure tests and switching to lateral flow on arrival, will make it easier and cheaper for people to travel abroad.

“For too long, the recovery of UK aviation has lagged behind the rest of Europe. The changes announced today will help to close that gap by encouraging more people to book foreign travel.

“But for as long as vaccinated travellers have to pay for tests, the recovery of one of the UK’s major industries will be held back.

“Government must now find a way to give people back the freedom to travel without the barrier of testing.”

What is the new traffic light system?

The green, red and amber traffic light destinations have been scrapped and now locations are on the red list – or not at all.

Fully vaccinated residents – and unvaccinated under 18s – from more than 50 countries and territories can now enter the UK without needing to complete a pre-departure lateral flow test, take a day-eight post-arrival PCR test costing around £65, or self-isolate at home, with just a single day-two post-arrival test needed.

From the end of October, the government says that people coming to England may no longer have to take a PCR test two days after arrival.

Instead, they'll be able to take a cheaper and simpler lateral flow test.

Can I travel to a red list country?

Red-list countries are those the UK government says should not be visited "except in the most extreme of circumstances".

If you have been in one in the last 10 days, you can only enter the UK if you are a UK or Irish national, or UK resident.

According to the government’s website, before you travel to England from a red list country you must:

  • take a COVID-19 test – you must take the test in the 3 days before you travel to England
  • book a quarantine hotel package, including 2 COVID-19 tests
  • complete a passenger locator form

You must do this even if you are fully vaccinated.

 Which Manchester Airport destinations are on the red list – and which aren’t?

You can currently travel to the following destinations from Manchester Airport – but they are on the red list:

  • Cuba
  • Montenegro
  • Tobago

Here are the Manchester Airport destinations which aren’t on the red list: