Two-week quarantines being imposed on arrivals by the UK and Spain will damage recovery of the aviation sector.
The European Regions Airline Association branded the measures designed to combat the spread of coronavirus as “arduous”.
They will have “a detrimental effect and lengthen the time it will take for the travel and tourism industry to resume operations and services to consumers,” the trade body warned.
“Consumer confidence is vital to allow airlines to re-start their operations and to receive future passenger bookings. Imposing complicated quarantine measures, which are unlikely to be controlled or enforced, provide no strategic benefit,” the ERA added.
The association called for a more united and inter-connected approach, without the need for “restricted quarantine measures,” which would allow aviation, together with the tourism sectors, to resume.
“Appropriate measures, based on scientific evidence, are required to allow airlines to start flying again and passengers to start travelling, ERA added.
“Evidence has suggested that the risk of virus transmission on board an aircraft is low.”
Director general Montserrat Barriga said: “A clear set of measures across the EU and third countries is needed urgently to allow aviation to recover.
“A strategic set of processes and protocols can be implemented to make this happen that would re-establish confidence in flying.
“Quarantine measures will enforce a stalemate situation that benefits neither the passenger nor the airline.
“Collaboration is needed by all involved, otherwise the pathway to reconnect and reunite Europe will remain long, lengthy and economically devastating.”
Loganair managing director Jonathan Hinkles added: “Public health is of paramount importance. That said, there appears to be no logic in restricting international travel from areas where Covid-19 infection rates are low, yet that is exactly what is now being proposed.
“These measures will do tremendous further damage to the regional aviation industry for no obvious benefit to public health, as well as holding back the recovery of essential industries unless they are exempted from these quarantine measures.”
Roger Hage, commercial and operations manager of Eastern Airways, said: “Given the propensity for these measures to restrict major corporate customers who shuttle staff or deliver projects, including sectors such as maritime, construction and energy – major parts of our charter customer flying commitments – this could severely impact economic recovery across many countries; which, as a UK-based operator, we believe is notable for the island’s economy.
“We would advocate for a very clear rethink as to how to distinguish between discretionary and employment specific passenger movements.”