Source: ACI
Airports Council International (ACI) World expresses its frustration that calls to governments for coordination and collaboration for the safe resumption of travel continue to go unheeded.
With public health as the priority, ACI World urges governments to greatly improve coordination for travel measures between countries and implement risk- and evidence-based approaches for a safe return of travel. The current patchwork of travel restrictions around the globe continues to affect the global aviation system and the millions of livelihoods that depend on the trade, tourism and investment that air transport provides.
The sudden imposition of travel bans by some States in reaction to the identification of the Omicron variant has been denounced by international bodies including the World Health Organization (WHO), which clearly stated that “blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread” of variants and that they “place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.”
ACI, the voice of the world’s airports, joins the United Nations, WHO, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Air Transport Association (IATA), UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)in calling for risk-based travel measures that are coordinated across countries.
In addition, ACI World reinforces the need for countries to adopt harmonized digital health credentials for testing and vaccination that would be accepted across borders. This would allow for better management of travel measures along with better adaptation to the evolving health situation.
“Travel bans and border closures are not the solution as variants emerge,” said ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira. “Aviation stakeholders want to be part of the solution to safely restore international travel, but we desperately need governments to coordinate amongst each other and collaborate with the aviation ecosystem. This is what was agreed at a recent global conference at ICAO and governments now need to follow through.
“We must also remember the value and jobs created by the entire aviation and tourism sector—protecting the population with the right risk-based approach will improve the social, health and economic circumstances for the communities we serve. And this will help them rebuild.
“Furthermore, the WHO and others emphasize that access to and the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is critical to controlling the spread and emergence of new COVID-19 variants, and we urgently need international cooperation to deliver.”