IATA urges govts to implement ICAO’s Covid-19 Takeoff guidance
KUALA LUMPUR: Governments are urged to quickly implement the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO’s) global guidelines for restoring air connectivity, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA) directorgeneral and chief executive officer Alexandre de Juniac.
He said the ICAO Council had approved the Takeoff: Guidance for Air Travel through the Covid-19 Public Health Crisis (Takeoff), an authoritative and comprehensive framework of risk-based temporary measures for air transport operations during the Covid-19 crisis.
“The universal implementation of global standards has made aviation safe.
A similar approach is critical in this crisis so that we can safely restore air connectivity as borders and economies reopen,” he said in a statement yesterday.
De Juniac said the Takeoff guidance document was built with the best expertise of government and industry with airlines strongly support it.
“Now we are counting on governments to implement the recommendations quickly because the world wants to travel again and needs airlines to play a key role in economic recovery.
“And we must do this with global harmonisation and mutual recognition of efforts to earn the confidence of travellers and air transport workers,” he said.
The Takeoff proposes a phased approach to restarting aviation and identifies a set of generally applicable risk-based measures, such as physical distancing, masks usage, contact tracing as well as passenger health declaration forms.
In line with recommendations and guidance from public health authorities, these will mitigate the risk of transmission of the Covid-19 virus during the travel process.