Source: General Directorate of Civil Aviation - Ecuador   The Emergency Operations Committee of the Galapagos Province approved on October 14 through Resolution COEP-064-GAL-14102020 the “Protocol for the Reopening of Flights to the Galapagos Islands in the framework of the Health Emergency due to COVID-19 Version 2.0 ”, In order to establish the guidelines for the process of entry and exit of passengers to and from the island region.   The document establishes the protocols for the entry and / or exit of passengers to the province of Galapagos according to their migratory category, defined in Article 39 of the Organic Law of the Special Regime of the Province of Galapagos (LOREG): permanent resident, temporary, tourist and passerby.   All [...]

Source: ACI-LAC   Airports Council International for Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC) is pleased to welcome the Puerto Rico Ports Authority as a new member of the association.   The Ports Authority is one of the main government agencies in Puerto Rico and is responsible for managing the main ports of entry and exit for passengers in Puerto Rico, as well as 9 airports in the country, among which the Rafael Hernández de Aguadilla Airport and the Mercedita Airport located in the city of Ponce.   "ACI-LAC warmly welcomes the Puerto Rico Ports Authority as a new member of the organization. We are particularly proud that the Authority has decided to join the world airports association, since with its [...]

Source: ICAO Ensuring that States coordinate and sufficiently resource their aviation strategies will underpin both the continued safety of flight and the global recovery of the aviation network as a whole, ICAO Council President Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano and ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu declared at yesterday’s Flight Safety Foundation 2020 International Air Safety Summit.   “There should be no misconceptions regarding the dependence of the ultimate speed and effectiveness of our sector’s recovery on the degree of international coordination we establish,” the President said. “It will also be dependent on the measures we pursue being compatible with safety and security requirements; proportionate to the improvement of public health; flexible where possible to allow for a viable economic recovery; and [...]

Source: ICAO Downturns in air transport have significant and cascading impacts on tourism and hospitality markets all over the world, and recent slight upturns have been insignificant when compared to how severely global air transport and tourism have plummeted due to COVID-19.   This message was underscored today by ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu, as she addressed the latest meeting of the UN World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO's) Global Tourism Crisis Committee.   Appreciating the deep inter-dependencies of air transport and tourism, and the close and effective cooperation already established between ICAO and the UNWTO, Dr. Liu reported to the government and industry officials on hand that current trends in global mobility and connectivity continue to paint a dire economic [...]

Source: ICAO Over half the world's tourists travel by air, and aviation and tourism together deliver significant growth and development benefits which are deeply relied upon by many national economies.   This was one of the key messages delivered by ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu earlier today as she addressed the G20  high-level public-private event on Accelerating the Global Recovery of travel and tourism hosted today by the G20 Presidency, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.   A second key update provided concerned the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART), and how its current Phase II updating of its response and recover 'Take-off' guidelines would include new recommendations to help countries evaluate testing options as a means to alleviate [...]

ICAO Council President encourages solidarity and a focus on building back more sustainably at ATAG 2020 Global Forum    Source: ICAO   In his virtual remarks to industry leaders attending the Air Transport Action Group’s (ATAG’s) 2020 Global Sustainable Aviation Forum today, ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano drew attention to how COVID-19’s impacts on global mobility had tragically impacted the lives of the hundreds of millions of economically vulnerable men and women around the world, with further negative effects on intercultural exchange and the peace and economic prosperity of many developing and developed societies.   “Given the importance of air travel to so many of our fundamental collective aspirations, and to every global citizen’s quality of life, aviation leaders have a great [...]

IATA: Reactivation of International Flights in Peru Requires Adequate Infrastructure   Source: IATA   The International Air Transport Association (IATA) thanks the government of Peru for its decision to resume international flights on October 5, as announced today by the nation's president, Martín Vizcarra.   “The announcement by President Vizcarra is the first step to reactivate the country's international connectivity. In order for the airlines to be able to plan the restart of flights, the authorities must publish the necessary protocols as soon as possible ”, said Peter Cerdá, Regional Vice President of the Americas - IATA.   It also requested that the relevant authorities: Increase the number of flights per day and extend the opening hours of airports and [...]

IATA Calls or Systemic COVID-19 Testing Before Departure   Source: IATA   The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for the development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic COVID-19 testing for all passengers before departure as an alternative to quarantine measures in order to re-establish global air connectivity. IATA will work through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with health authorities to implement this solution quickly. International travel is 92% down on 2019 levels. Over half a year has passed since global connectivity was destroyed as countries closed their borders to fight COVID-19. Some governments have cautiously re-opened borders since then, but there has been limited uptake because either quarantine measures make travel impractical or [...]

Source: ALTA The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed an agreement to promote and facilitate access to IATA Training courses for aviation professionals in Latin America and the Caribbean. IATA trains over 100,000 professionals and students every year around the world with more than 350 courses and 40 diplomas in the areas of management, environment, fares and ticketing, finance, human resources, education, infrastructure, operations, quality, regulations, safety, sales and marketing, and security, travel and tourism, to name a few. “Training the human resource is a priority. With this agreement, we seek to further strengthen the development of professionals in aviation, an industry that requires the highest standards of qualification and [...]

GRU Airport first airport in Brazil to obtain the ACI Airport Health Accreditation   Source: ACI-LAC   Airports Council International (ACI) have announced today the accreditation of Guarulhos International Airport (GRU Airport) in the ACI Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) programme. GRU Airport is the first airport in Brazil to obtain the AHA accreditation.   ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme recognizes the commitment to health and welfare of passengers, airport staff and the public, by supporting airports assessing the new health measures and procedures introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force (CART) recommendations and in alignment with the joint EASA and ECDC Aviation Health Safety Protocol and ACI EUROPE’s Guidelines for [...]