Airline association Iata said President Trump’s executive order banning travel to the US from seven countries had been issued “without warning”.
The result had been “confusion among airlines and travellers”, said Iata, as it called for “clarity from the US administration on the current situation”.
The Trump administration issued the order halting travel from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq and Yemen late on Friday, January 27.
Iata noted: “Under normal circumstances, such a White House action would be coordinated internally prior to issuance with all impacted government agencies (Department of Homeland Security, Department of State etc) as well as with those in industry whose operations would be impacted by the action in the private sector (airlines, airports, travel agents etc). This did not occur in this case.”
In a statement, Iata said: “The executive order was issued without prior coordination or warning, causing confusion among both airlines and travelers.
“It placed additional burdens on airlines to comply with unclear requirements, to bear implementation costs and to face potential penalties for non-compliance.”
Iata said: “We ask for early clarity from the US administration on the current situation. Moreover, we urge all governments to provide sufficient advance coordination of changes in entry requirements so that travellers can clearly understand them and airlines can efficiently implement them.”
However, the association also noted: “Iata recognises that states have the right and duty to protect their citizens by enforcing their borders.
“Where this has implications for air travel, we work with our member airlines to help them comply with these requirements efficiently and effectively.”
A Federal judge has blocked part of the Executive Order, preventing the deportation of people who arrived in the US from any of the countries over the weekend.