Airports and airlines have urged governments across Europe to lift recently imposed Omicron-related travel restrictions where community transmissions are already present.
Several countries including the UK, France, Greece and Italy re-introduced travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers in response to the rise of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Aviation trade bodies pointed to guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) – an agency of the European Union – which acknowledges action against Omicron no longer needs to involve travel restrictions as infections are predominantly driven by community transmissions rather than travel-related cases.
Airports trade body ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe (A4E) also warned that the recent proliferation of travel restrictions puts the EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) at risk, “eroding its very raison d’être”.
More: European airports back calls for axing of blanket travel bans
Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, and Thomas Reynaert, A4E managing director, jointly commented: “The ECDC has always been clear that travel restrictions can only delay the introduction of new variants and that once a new variant is present across Europe and in community transmission, they no longer serve any purpose.
“This is exactly the point we are reaching with Omicron.
“Maintaining testing and quarantine requirements for vaccinated travellers will only bring hardship to the livelihoods and economies of those affected by and reliant upon the travel industry. There is no longer any corresponding health safety benefit.
“Knee-jerk responses contrary to expert guidance benefits no one and adds to the burden our citizens are already carrying.”
At the start of December, ACI Europe joined calls for the axing of travel bans in response to the emergence of Omicron.
The trade body backed the World Health Organisation assertion that blanket travel bans would not prevent the international spread of the variant.
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