OVID-19: IATA’s Efforts to Get More People to Fly
Chinedu Eze
Since mid last year the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has been making efforts to make more people travel by air and restore confidence in air transport despite the devastating effects of Covid-19.
To achieve this, IATA has held meetings with the International Civil Aviation Organsiation (ICAO), the Airport Council International (ACI), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regional aviation agencies to galvanise air travel after it was literally paralysed by Covid-19 lockdown in many countries.
IATA has vigorously campaigned against impediments to air travel worldwide and has recently warned that the reliance on taxation as the solution for cutting aviation emissions in the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ proposal is counter-productive to the goal of sustainable aviation. The body said EU policy needed to support practical emission reduction measures such as incentives for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and modernization of air traffic management.
“Aviation is committed to decarbonization as a global industry. We don’t need persuading, or punitive measures like taxes to motivate change. In fact, taxes siphon money from the industry that could support emissions’ reducing investments in fleet renewal and clean technologies. To reduce emissions, we need governments to implement a constructive policy framework that, most immediately, focuses on production incentives for SAF and delivering the Single European Sky,” said IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh.
IATA recently welcomed the decision by the government of Canada to further ease border restriction for fully vaccinated passengers. It noted that eligible US citizens and permanent US residents arriving from the US would be permitted to enter Canada as from August 9, 2021 and foreign nationals arriving from all other countries would be allowed as of September 7, 2021. IATA also explained that fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and residents have been able to enter Canada without the need for hotel quarantine since July 5, 2021.
“The decision by the government of Canada to gradually allow fully vaccinated foreigners travellers to enter the country is good news on various fronts. First and foremost, it restores the freedom of travel, which will be especially welcomed by those who were barred from seeing friends and family. Moreover, airlines can now start reinstating international connectivity. This will be a boost for rebuilding the Canadian economy, especially through the contribution of international business and tourism. Nevertheless, we ask the authorities to consider the latest recommendation from the World Health Organisation regarding alleviations for those who are unable to get vaccinated, ”Walsh said.
IATA has also called on states to follow travel protocol from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The guidance recommended a “risk-based approach” to implementing measures related to COVID-19 and international travel.
Specifically, WHO had recommended that governments should not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a mandatory condition for entry or exit, may relax measures such as testing and/or quarantine requirements for travelers who are fully vaccinated or have had a confirmed previous COVID-19 infection within the past six months and are no longer infectious, should ensure alternative pathways for unvaccinated individuals through testing so that they are able to travel internationally.
The WHO also recommended rRT-PCR tests, or antigen detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) followed by confirmatory rRT-PCR tests of positive samples, for this purpose; implement test and/or quarantine measures for international travelers “on a risk-based manner” with policies on testing and quarantine regularly reviewed to ensure they are lifted when no longer necessary.
“These commonsense, risk-based recommendations from WHO, if followed by states, will allow for international air travel to resume while minimizing the chance of importing COVID-19. As WHO notes—and as the latest UK testing data proves—international travelers are not a high-risk group in terms of COVID-19. Out of 1.65 million tests carried out on arriving international passengers in the UK since February, only 1.4% were positive for COVID-19. It’s long past time for governments to incorporate data into risk-based decision-making process for re-opening borders, ”Walsh explained.
WHO had also called on states to communicate, “in a timely and adequate manner any changes to international health-related measures and requirements.”
Speaking further, Wals said, “Consumers face a maze of confusing, uncoordinated and fast-changing border entry rules that discourage them from traveling, causing economic hardship across those employed in the travel and tourism sector. According to our latest passenger survey, 70 per cent of recent travelers thought the rules were a challenge to understand.
“The pandemic has put more than 46 million jobs, normally supported by aviation, at risk. By incorporating these latest WHO recommendations into their border opening strategies, states can begin to reverse the economic damage of the past 18 months and put the world on the road to recovery.“
Additionally, WHO encouraged states to look at bilateral, multilateral, and regional agreements, particularly among neighboring counties, “with the aim of facilitating the recovery of key socioeconomic activities” including tourism, for which international travel plays a vital role.
IATA had in March this year outlined three priorities for African governments to ensure that the airline, travel and transport industry survived the COVID-19 crisis and was able to support economic recovery, growth and development throughout the continent.
