A protocol drawn up by an
international task force is intended to serve as a "framework" for
assuring the safety of passengers and workers on planes and at airports,
as the coronavirus-battered airline industry
Business News
On arrival at airports, travelers will present a health certificate and undergo an initial temperature check
Mask wearing, temperature controls, disinfection of aircraft: the
International Civil Aviation Organization on Monday published a series
of health recommendations for the pandemic-hit airline industry as it
relaunches air travel.
The protocol was drawn up by an international task force formed by the
Montreal-based ICAO with the help of other UN agencies like the World
Health Organization and the powerful International Air Transport
Association (IATA).
"These guidelines will facilitate convergence, mutual recognition and
harmonization of aviation COVID-19 related measures across the globe,"
Philippe Bertoux, France's representative on ICAO's board, which led the
"task force" debate, said in a statement.
The changes being suggested are the most important for air travel since
security measures put in place after the September 11, 2001 attacks on
the United States.
The recommendations -- adopted Monday evening by the ICAO's executive
committee, are intended to serve as a "framework" for assuring the
safety of passengers and workers on planes and at airports.
On their arrival at airports, travelers should present a health
certificate and undergo an initial temperature check, under the
guidelines.
Online check-in before arriving at the airport should be given priority,
and passages through security should be re-thought to limit physical
contact and waiting in lines.
Mobile tickets are advised, as well as other forms of no-contact technology, such as facial or eye scans.
"This will eliminate or greatly reduce the need for contact with travel
documents between staff and passengers," the protocol said.
Passengers are encouraged to travel as light as possible, with just one
small piece of hand luggage. Newspapers and magazines will no longer be
allowed on board, and duty-free sales will be limited.
The wearing of a mask or face covering should be obligatory inside
aircraft and terminals, where physical distancing of at least three feet
(one meter) should be respected.
Terminal access will be limited to passengers and their companions, such
as those accompanying disabled travelers, and airport personnel.
Aboard planes, passengers should wear masks, move as little as possible
within the cabin, and not line up outside toilets to lessen the risk of
infecting other passengers. People will be assigned specific toilet
stalls on the plane in relation to where they are seated.
Flight attendants will be provided with personal protective equipment that could include visors, gloves and medical masks.
'Global reference'
But the ICAO does not advocate leaving every other seat open to assure
physical distancing, a restriction that the airline industry sees as a
threat to its profitability.
The organization, nevertheless, asks passengers to remain as far from one another as possible.
It also advocates that food on board be pre-packaged and that aircraft be regularly disinfected.
Temperature checks should also be taken on a flight's arrival.
The measures aren't obligatory but they are the product of a broad
consensus that imparts "an authority that will make them a global
reference for the first time on this issue since the start of the
COVID-19 crisis," said Bertoux.
"These measures will facilitate a safe and sustainable return of the air travel," he told AFP.
To reopen after having been grounded for months and brought to its knees
financially, the airline industry is pressing for rules to be
harmonized to reassure passengers and states that have closed their
borders in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
The ICAO estimates that the pandemic will reduce the number of air passengers by 1.5 billion by the end of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment