Page 61 - World Airnews Magazine July Edition 2020

NEWS DIGITAL

CRITERIA FOR COVID-19 TESTING

IN THE AIR TRAVEL PROCESS

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s
Director General and CEO.
International Air Transport As part of the travel process
Association has released COVID-19 testing would need
criteria for the use of COVID-19 to be conducted by trained
testing in the air travel process. public health officials and meet
Should governments choose the following criteria:
to introduce COVID-19 testing • Speed: Testing results
for travellers arriving from should be delivered
countries considered as high quickly, with results
risk, testing must deliver results available in under an
fast, be able to be conducted at hour as the minimum
scale and operate to very high standard.
rates of accuracy. • Scale: If testing takes
Additionally, testing must be place at the airport,
cost-effective and not create an testing capacity of
economic or logistical barrier several hundreds of
to travel. tests per hour must
The International Civil be achievable. The
Aviation Organisation (ICAO) use of saliva for taking
published Takeoff guidance samples rather than
which is the global guidance nasal or throat swabs
for governments to follow would facilitate this and
in reconnecting their people would also be expected
and economies by air. Takeoff to reduce time and
outlines layers of measures to improve passenger
mitigate the risk of COVID-19 acceptance.
transmission during air travel • Accuracy: Extremely
and the risk of importation high accuracy is
of COVID-19 via air travel. essential. Both false
COVID-19 testing should not negative and false should only be in place for as
be a necessary condition for positive results must be long as necessary. To ensure passenger could not travel as
re-opening borders or resuming below 1%. this, regular evaluations should planned. In this case, airlines
air services. be conducted. have been offering flexibility
Technology for rapid to consumers. This includes
point-of-care Polymerized WHERE DOES TESTING FIT WHO SHOULD PAY? re-booking or refunds in line
Chain Reaction (PCR) testing IN THE TRAVEL PROCESS? with the airline’s commercial
could be a useful layer of Cost is an important consider- policy. Many airlines are
protection for travellers from Ideally COVID-19 testing would ation. Testing should facilitate offering the same flexibility to
countries considered as higher be required in advance of travel and not provide an passengers who suspect that
risk, potentially removing the arrival at the airport and within economic barrier. With testing they have symptoms consistent
need for more burdensome 24 hours of travel. Passengers at some European destinations with COVID-19 as well as
and intrusive measures such arriving “ready-to-fly” reduces costing in excess of $200, this members of the same travelling
as quarantine which is a the risk of contagion in the is a real concern. IATA supports party, particularly when they
major barrier to travel and the airport and enables early the World Health Organization are members of the same
recovery of demand. re-accommodation for any (WHO) International Health household.
traveller who tests positive.
Regulations which requires
“Airlines are committed to governments to bear the costs If testing is mandated on
reducing the risks of COVID-19 If testing is required as part of mandatory health testing. arrival and a passenger tests
positive, then the passenger
transmission via air travel and of the travel process, it is Where a test is offered on a should be treated according
COVID-19 testing could play recommended at departure. voluntary basis, it should be to the requirements of the
an important role. But it must Governments would need to charged at cost price. receiving State. Airlines should
be implemented in line with mutually recognize test results not be required to repatriate
ICAO’s global re-start guidance and data transmission should the passenger(s) or ‘punished’
with the aim of facilitating take place directly between WHAT HAPPENS WHEN with financial penalties such
travel. Speed, scale and passengers and governments SOMEONE TESTS POSITIVE? as fines or through operational
accuracy are the most critical in a similar manner as Ideally testing takes place penalties such as the withdraw-
performance criteria for testing e-visa clearances are currently prior to travel or at the point al of the right to operate in the
to be effectively incorporated handled. of departure and a positive
into the travel process,” said Any testing requirements result would mean that the market. Q

World Airnews | July Extra 2020
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