Global airline body welcomes US decision on Covid-19 testing

15th January 2021

By: Rebecca Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has welcomed the decision by US authorities that all those travelling to the US will have to have proof of a negative Covid-19 test result, from a test carried out within three days before their departure for the US. The new requirement was announced by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and will come into force on January 26.

“Systematic pre-departure testing is key to giving governments confidence to reopen markets without quarantine,” affirmed Iata VP: member and external relations North America Douglas Lavin. “Testing will ensure that at current infection levels, aviation will not become a meaningful vector of new transmissions in the US. Furthermore, Iata traveler surveys show that passengers strongly support and are willing to undergo testing.”

Iata was also encouraged by the flexibility incorporated in this order by the CDC, which would accept the results of both antigen and polymerase chain reaction tests. It would also allow passengers who had had Covid-19 to show that they had immunity to the disease.

“As the efficiency of testing is confirmed, we need to move quickly to [the] next steps – lifting travel restrictions which prevent travel from Europe and other key markets and removing quarantine requirements imposed by state and local governments in the US,” he asserted. Iata was developing its own Travel Pass, which was a mobile app to manage information flows concerning Covid-19 testing requirements and vaccine and immunity information.

Iata Travel Pass data would be encrypted so that passengers could safely receive and store it on their mobile devices. This data would include verified test results and vaccination documentation, which could be shared with airlines and national authorities. The association called on the US authorities to accept such electronic documentation held by Iata Travel Passes. 

“While this order presents operational challenges, we will continue to work with [the] CDC to achieve a smooth implementation,” said Lavin. “It is definitely a step in the right direction.”

 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION