EASA and the ECDC have issued new guidelines determining a coordinated approach to reduce the risks related to the movement of people within and between the EU/EEA countries and the UK in the context of the COVID pandemic. The health and safety protocol determines that, in the current epidemiological situation, quarantine or systematic testing for COVID of air travellers is not recommended. Instead, a basket of preventive measures including testing and tracing has been found to minimise the possibility of transmission during the air travel process.

The document recommends the EU Member States to harmonise their approach and further presents specific operational recommendations for the management of travel-related measures to aid in this process. Athar continued stating: “We welcome the new Aviation Health Safety Protocol and the call for harmonisation. Business aviation is one of the safest forms of travel and a level playing field across the EU helps us operate more effectively and efficiently”.

The European Business aviation community supports measures taken so far by authorities in the fight against the COVID pandemic. Safety is – and always will be – our priority, whether for passengers, crews and other workers involved in our sector’s operations. Business aviation will keep playing a central role in the post-COVID recovery, connecting businesses and decision-makers who play key roles in restarting the European and global economies. Our sector is also a leading contributor to tourism – a key economic component in several European economies – and to the European job market, securing nearly half a million highly-skilled, highly paid jobs and accounting for 90 billion euros of economic output.

EBAA will continue to collaborate with the European Commission, EASA and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) on the development of technical and operational measures that are adapted and relevant to our specificities to remain a COVID-safe mode of transport.

ENDS