Global air travel industry seeks end to Covid-19 control travel and tour world

Published: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

World travel and tourism organizations are fully compliant with the government’s lifting of COVID-19 travel bans on domestic-EU and Shenzhen travel, including all testing requirements, the need to present vaccination proof, or the need to fill out a Passenger Locator Form (PLF). ) As well as must wear a mask for travel.

In a joint letter to EU transport ministers, ACI Europe (Airport Council International) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) cited new research that found that blanket travel systems would be ineffective in the face of the future in order to curb the spread of covid. Of concern.

The call comes as the COVID-19 epidemic hits its second anniversary milestone this month.

The Covid-19, and especially the Omicron variant, is now widespread throughout Europe, and population immunity is at such a level that the risk of hospitalization or death has dropped dramatically, especially for vaccinated people, the agencies said in their letter.

Industry groups cite recently published research that indicates that even if a new variant is discovered and travel restrictions are introduced immediately, it only delays the transition to a maximum of four days.

March 11 marks exactly two years since the WHO declared COVID-19 a global epidemic. At the time, there was growing evidence that border restrictions were ineffective, said Rafael Schwartzman, IATA’s regional vice president for Europe.

He added that it was time to focus COVID-19 efforts on surveillance and remove inter-EU sanctions. It will free people to travel and support jobs back in the European aviation and travel sectors.

In the same vein, ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovek said that in light of the results, governments could confidently lift restrictions for any concerns today and in the future, adding that travel bans have “proven to be a blunt instrument with no effect on virus transmission”.

Associations emphasize that the removal of all coronavirus restrictions will allow freedom of travel, which will provide much-needed impetus to travel and tourism sectors severely affected by the epidemic.

More specifically, ACI Europe and IATA are requesting:

– Removal of all health-related travel and border restrictions prior to the summer season, at least on inter-EEA flights, especially testing, contact tracking, and vaccine certification.

– Aligning health restrictions applicable to nationally applicable aviation, especially in the case of mask mandates

– Passengers vaccinated with WHO-approved vaccines are allowed to travel to EEA from a third country on the same terms as passengers vaccinated with EMA-approved vaccines.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) says it fully supports IATA and ACI Europe’s call for the removal of all remaining restrictions on travel within the EU and the Shenzhen area.

The patchwork of restrictions does nothing to stop the spread of COVID but has caused severe damage to the economy, resulting in job and business losses, Julia Simpson, WTTC president and CEO, said in a statement.

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Tags: ACI EUROPE (Airport Council International), COVID-19 Epidemic, International Air Transport Association (IATA), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)