Europe’s airlines and airports have urged the EC and member states to save millions of jobs and the Christmas holiday by ditching quarantine restrictions in favour of EU-wide passenger testing.
Airlines for Europe (A4E), Iata and Airports Association ACI Europe propose testing all air passengers for Covid-19 before departure.
They have urged the EC and governments to take immediate action to develop and implement an EU-wide Testing Protocol for Travel (EU-TPT) system.
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In a joint letter to the EC president, EU heads of state and health ministers across Europe, they propose an EU-TPT framework.
The industry bodies argue this would “provide greater assurance and ability for cross-border travellers to plan family reunions or vacations” during the holiday.
It would also “serve as a lifeline to the millions of workers in the travel and tourism sectors whose jobs remain at risk”.
They argue the framework could “re-establish freedom of movement in Europe” in time for the Christmas-New Year holiday.
The proposal was set out in a letter yesterday and follows a call from the same organisations to EC President Ursula von der Leyen on September 17.
It matches Iata’s call for “systematic Covid-19 testing for all passengers before departure”.
The proposal letter notes latest Iata data show air traffic in Europe down 66% year on year and airport passenger traffic in September down 78%, with air bookings for the winter down 80% on 2019.
A report by the aviation industry’s Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) suggests one in two jobs in the sector in Europe could be lost – up to seven million jobs.
The associations’ letter tells Europe’s political leaders: “We need to learn to live – and travel – with the virus.
“Re-establishing the free movement of people and air connectivity in a safe way must be a priority.”
They urge that quarantine be replaced by testing prior to departure “based on an EU Testing Protocol for Travel consistently applicable for passengers travelling across borders from high-risk areas”.
The associations argue consumer research “has established that 65% of travellers agree that quarantine should not be required for passengers who test negative for Covid-19”.
They also demand travel restrictions “be coordinated and based on common risk assessment” with a “common colour coding system/mapping of designated areas already proposed by the EC but yet to be endorsed and fully implemented by EU states”.
Germany, Europe’s biggest outbound travel market, has implemented the colour coding system, but continues to advise against travel to all but a short list of countries.
The German government is also introducing a new 14-day quarantine system from October 15, allowing early release from self-isolation only with a negative Covid test after five days.
More: Tourism Alliance joins business groups in plea for Covid airport testing
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