The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which is the representative body for the global airline industry, has urged all air passengers to comply with instructions and wear face coverings during their journey. The wearing of such coverings is one of the major recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organisations’ (ICAO’s) guidance for safe air travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ICAO guidance was drawn up in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and national governments. (ICAO and WHO are both specialist agencies of the United Nations.) It provides for a multilayered approach to ensuring safe travel during the pandemic, and the wearing of face coverings is one of these layers. Iata pointed out that research by the University of Edinburgh in the UK had established that properly worn face coverings reduced the forward spread of droplets from the mouth (which could carry the disease) by 90%.
Iata issued this appeal to passengers after a number of incidents in which airline passengers had refused to wear face coverings. Although the numbers involved have been tiny, the association reported that some of the incidents on-board airliners had turned violent. Consequently, the aircraft involved had had to make time-consuming and expensive diversions to offload the passengers concerned.
“This is a call for common sense and taking responsibility,” stressed Iata director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac. “The vast majority of travellers understand the importance of face covering both for themselves as well as for their fellow passengers, and airlines appreciate this collective effort. But a small minority create problems. Safety is at the core of aviation, and compliance with crew safety instructions is the law. Failure to comply can jeopardise a flight’s safety, disrupt the travel experience of other passengers and impact the work environment for crew.”
Iata pointed out that an airline ticket was a contract between the passenger and the airline. Under the terms of this contract, a passenger agreed to comply with the airline’s terms and conditions of carriage. These conditions of carriage allow an airline to refuse to fly anyone whose behaviour is in breech of government regulations, or interferes with a flight, or makes other passengers feel unsafe.
Airlines stress the need to wear face coverings when passengers make bookings, and when they check-in, and at the gate and in announcements onboard the aircraft. “This is not just about protecting yourself,” highlighted Iata medical adviser Dr David Powell. “It’s about protecting everyone else on the flight.”