ACI welcomes updated ICAO guidance addressing COVID-19 impact on air travel

Further global push for testing to replace quarantine needed

Montreal, Canada, 2020-Nov-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Airports Council International (ACI) World has today (10 November 2020) welcomed the updated guidance for states in addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air travel, published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

As parts of the global aviation ecosystem continue to make small steps towards recovery, global consistency remains the key to a sustained and effective restart of operations. Airports, airlines, governments and regulators have looked to ICAO to provide consistent guidance needed to underpin globally-harmonized measures that will increase public confidence in air travel and support continued safe operations.

The second edition of the “Take-off” Guidance Document published by ICAO’s Council Aviation Recovery Task Force includes welcome new information including:

• guidance on a risk-based and evidence-based approach to support States in implementing a multilayered risk management strategy to assist in the restart and recovery of operations
• a risk management framework with a decision-making tool to determine the risk of transporting potentially infectious passengers and/or importing COVID-19, and
• information on factors States could consider should they elect to implement testing, as well as guidance on how to implement testing.

“We welcome the new guidance from the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force which will help to establish a globally-harmonized approach to health measures and testing,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “The overriding issue is one of testing – we need an agreed approach to testing as a means of facilitating safe travel instead of the restrictive quarantine measures that are blunting the industry’s recovery efforts.

“The acceptance and implementation of measures by member states will reinforce the alignment of the sector with requirements from individual countries’ health authorities, providing the confidence we need to safely restart operations and contribute to the global economy recovery.”

ACI World is also anticipating the publication of the Testing and Cross-Border Risk Management Measures Guidance Manual being produced by ICAO’s Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA).

“The manual will be an invaluable contribution to the industry as it will provide countries with a risk management framework for evaluating testing options and factors to consider in implementing testing,” Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “This will guide countries in doing away with quarantine to implement flexible and risk-based testing which will ensure that passengers recognize that their health and safety is the priority and the recovery of air travel can be accelerated.”

Notes for editors

1. More information about ICAO’s Council Aviation Recovery Task Force Take-Off Guidance.
2. Stay up to date with ACI World’s COVID-19 communications through its dedicated news hub.
3. More information about CAPSCA.
4. Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, customer-centric and environmentally sustainable. As of January 2020, ACI serves 668 members, operating 1979 airports in 176 countries.

Media Contacts:

Anita Berthier
Director, Communications
ACI World
Telephone: +1 514 373 1254
Email: mediarelations@aci.aero

Source: ACI World

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