EBAA has received notification from members operating in Italy that, starting from the 14th of March, Italian health authorities are implementing new and rather specific procedures for aircraft disinsection that impacts a considerable portion of the global aviation community, due to transmission of the dengue virus.

On the 14^th of March, the Italian Ministry of Health has sent through its Maritime, aerial, and border health offices (USMAF-SASN Offices) a document titled ‘’Health surveillance measures against the dengue virus’’ containing measures to apply to means of transportation and goods originating from countries where Aedes aegypti is present, the main vector for the dengue infection transmission, as well as from countries where the risk of contracting the disease is frequent and ongoing, as reported by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Residual Disinsection certificate

The Ministry of Health mandates that aircraft originating directly or indirectly with intermediate stops from countries or territories at risk must possess a residual disinsection certificate.

The residual disinsection certificate, presented by the aircraft, must comply with the provisions of Appendix 4 of Annex 9 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Convention and is valid for 8 weeks. The residual disinsection certificate, presented by the airlines or companies acting on their behalf to implement pest control measures, may be considered valid provided it has been drawn up in accordance with Appendix 4 of Annex 9 of the ICAO Convention. This certificate must clearly and unambiguously state the designation of the issuing Authority or Company, the first and last name in block letters and legible signature of the signatory and their affiliation, as well as the date of treatment and expiration of the treatment.

Disinsection Methods and Procedures

The disinsection methods and procedures must conform to those approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and outlined in the document “WHO aircraft disinsection methods and procedures, 2nd ed“.

In cases where an aircraft, having operated flights (direct and indirect, originating from countries and territories at risk), within the scope of Civil Aviation or General Aviation, is found to lack a valid residual disinsection certification, it must be subject to exceptional pre-embarkation, pre-departure, pre-departure cargo holds, or on arrival (cabin or lower cargo holds) disinsection, valid for a single journey. This procedure must be documented in the general declaration of the aircraft (Appendix 1 of ICAO Annex 9), with the identifying data of the aerosol devices used, retaining them on board (fully or partially used) for possible inspection by the authorities upon arrival.

In such cases, it is the responsibility of the USMAF-SASN Offices upon arrival in Italian territory to prescribe:

• residual disinsection with the issuance of a valid certificate to be performed before the aircraft departs from Italy; or
• residual disinsection with the issuance of a valid certificate to be performed before the aircraft returns to Italian territory within the following 28 days.
• Any residual disinsection certificate issued by these USMAF-SASN Offices must be registered in the NSIS portal (Nuovo Sistema Informativo Sanitario). It is therefore necessary for the airlines to contact the USMAF-SASN Offices for useful information and to receive appropriate support.

Airlines and companies managing airports are urged to cooperate fully in order to report to the USMAF-SASN Offices the origin of aircraft arriving, directly or indirectly with intermediate stops, from countries and territories at risk. In case of non-compliance with the prescribed measures, as these are public health measures, non-compliance falls within the cases referred to in article 650 of the Penal Code, a report will be made to the competent control authorities.

EBAA is actively monitoring this situation and conducting further research to provide updates to its members.