Aviation: Global Coordination Needed for COVID19 Measures

Airports Council International (ACI) and IATA have called on governments to ensure any new measures introduced for airports and airlines in the wake of COVID19 are supported by scientific evidence and are consistent across the world.

ACI and IATA have jointly issued a paper - Safely Restarting Aviation - ACI and IATA Joint Approach - laying out a pathway for restarting the aviation industry.

“Airports and airlines have come together with ICAO and the wider aviation industry to address the biggest challenge ever faced by commercial aviation in restarting a global industry while continuing to halt the spread of COVID19,” said ACI World Director General, Angela Gittens. “There is currently no single measure that could mitigate all the risks of restarting air travel but we believe a globally-consistent, outcome-based approach represents the most effective way of balancing risk mitigation with the need to unlock economies and to enable travel.”

 Airlines and airports have cooperated to build a roadmap for resuming operations designed to reassure the travelling public that health and safety remain the overall priorities.

The joint approach looks at minimizing the risk of transmission of COVID19 at airports and onboard aircraft, and to prevent aviation becoming a meaningful source of international re-infection.

The measures need to be globally consistent and subject to continued review, improvement, and removal when no longer required.

ACI and IATA are both central members the COVID-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) being led by the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, said, “Safety is always our top priority and that includes public health. Restoring air connectivity is vital to restarting the global economy and reconnecting people. Our layered approach of measures recommended by airports and airlines safeguard public health while offering a practical approach for a gradual restart of operations. It is important to remember that the risk of transmission on board is very low. And we are determined that aviation will not be a significant source of re-infection. We are working continuously with governments to ensure that any measures put in place are done so consistently and with scientific backing. That is key to restoring public confidence so the benefits of safely re-starting aviation can be realized.”

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