Geneva Airport is a popular hub for ski operators and independent travellers who travel on to resorts in the French Alps, and even some Italian resorts are fed by flights into the Swiss city. Under the new decree anybody transiting through Switzerland must also quarantine for 10 days.

While the airport does have a French sector, according to its website all international arrivals must pass through Swiss territory before they reach the French gate. As it stands this would mean all these passengers from the UK must isolate, regardless of their final destination. 

A spokesperson from Consensio Chalets, which operates properties in France, told The Telegraph that Swiss immigration have confirmed that transiting through Geneva Airport will not be allowed under the new rules. “Their instructions are that anyone arriving from the UK must be taken to Covid-19 test centre and tested, and show proof of reservation for quarantine, or they will be sent back to the UK.” An official announcement on this is yet to be made and currently the gov.uk website states that only those in transit ‘airside’ at the airport are exempt from quarantine rules. 

If there’s no flexibility in the rules, thousands of ski holidays in the French Alps could be in jeopardy as operators are forced to reroute flights or cancel holidays completely.  

Tightened restrictions in France

From a skier’s point of view, there’s been a trio of unwelcome announcements from across the Channel in recent days. As cases surge on the continent, ​​France has also acted to curb the spread. It was revealed late last week that the French government has changed the testing requirements for unvaccinated people who, in order to activate the pass sanitaire (allowing them to enter cafés, museums and other indoor public venues) must take a PCR or antigen test every 24 hours, rather than 72 hours as it was previously. 

Also announced was that, from January 15, a third booster dose will be mandatory for all adults to activate their health pass. If an adult has not had a booster within seven months of their second jab, then their pass will be deactivated and they’ll have to join the unvaccinated in getting tested daily. 

Finally, the French government has committed to not introducing the health pass as a requirement on ski lifts unless case rates surpassed 200 per 100,000. However, the latest figures show cases surpassing 300 over the weekend. As a result, any British skier who is not yet eligible for a booster in the UK (largely anybody under 40) faces having to test every day during their ski holiday in France this season, in order to get on the lifts, eat in restaurants or go to a bar – along with any teenagers who have only received a single shot of a two-dose vaccine. Devastatingly for people’s budgets, these tests, which are carried out at local resort pharmacies, cost a reported €40 each.