WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - Major U.S. and European Union airlines asked the EU and White House Tuesday to consider adopting a joint U.S.-EU COVID-19 testing program as a way to again allow people to travel between the United States and Europe.

In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, the chief executives of American Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa and International Airlines Group requested "the safe and swift restoration of air travel between the United States and Europe."

Nearly all Europeans are currently barred from traveling to the U.S. and similar restrictions are in place for Americans seeking to travel to most of the EU. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul)