British Airways is the only obstacle to allowing pets to travel from Bermuda to the UK under the new passports for pets scheme.

Ann Blyde and Lynn Hill have been pushing for British Airways to have Bermuda serve as a test site for the introduction of the new scheme.

A meeting was expected to be held in London yesterday to decide which countries would be included in the latest test scheme.

From January 31, cats and dogs from 28 islands, including Bermuda, which meet certain conditions will now be allowed to enter Britain without the ordeal of six months in quarantine.

The pets are issued with "passports'' certifying that they have been vaccinated against rabies, have a microchip implant and have been blood tested.

British Airways, the only carrier flying to Britain from the Island, has agreed to take part in the scheme, but has yet to set a date for including Bermuda.

Part of the problem is that Gatwick is the only airport that serves the Bermuda to UK link, and there are no facilities at Gatwick to process animals arriving from foreign countries.

It may be possible to have pets transported to Heathrow airport for clearance at an added cost. A facility is expected to be opened at Gatwick at an unknown date.

Mrs. Blyde and Mrs. Hill claimed there were more than 300 residents wishing to take their pets to the UK, and possibly many more.

They said: "What we really want is to be included in the pilot scheme since we have no other options of getting in,'' and they said they would not be pacified by any "mini-guarantee''.

BA Bermuda district manager, Phillip Troake has been lobbying BA to include Bermuda in the programme because of the large numbers of expatriates who complain about having to quarantine their animals when they return home.

"Because Bermuda is so small it would be an ideal place to run a trial from, and I've made the point to the UK that there are loads of people here who would travel back home with their animals,'' said Mr. Troake.

Last October, Mrs. Blyde and Mrs. Hill collected more than 300 signatures of residents wishing to return to the UK with their pets, and sent them with a letter to British Airways chairman Lord Marshall asking for Bermuda to be considered as part of the British Airways trial scheme. Lord Marshall replied that at present, only Heathrow is approved as an airport of entry under the pets scheme, and that several changes would have to be made before pets could be carried to London's Gatwick airport.

Mrs. Hill said pet owners wishing to travel with their pets had to book them on flights and this could be done by contacting Clive Lee at 293-2480.

AIRLINES FLY