Key recommendations include temporary liberalisation of cargo flights and priority vaccination of air crew.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council’s approval of the latest recommendations from its Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART).
Key outputs include recommendations for temporary liberalisation of cargo flights; considering priority vaccination of air crew; and increased cooperation among governments to implement CART recommendations and guidance.
There was updated or new guidance for testing certificates; COVID-19 risk management including vaccination and its interdependencies; dangerous goods guidelines for the carriage of cargo on passenger aircraft used in freighter operations; and a new mechanism for reporting extended regulatory alleviations.
“This is a major piece of work by states and aviation stakeholders under the leadership of ICAO and with the full support of the industry,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s CEO.
“Of course, these recommendations, guidelines and tools are only meaningful if they are adopted universally. It is crucial that states implement this guidance, particularly as they plan for the restart of international aviation when borders are able to open.
“As we have said many times, it was easy to shut down aviation with individual decisions. Restarting and maintaining operations to deliver economically and socially vital connectivity can only happen if all parties work together. The CART recommendations are the building blocks for that cooperation.”
De Juniac said: “One of the most important recommendations from this work is the call for national authorities to ensure that CART delivers results in national decision-making. We all know how important aviation is to the economy.
“And the harmonised implementation of these guidelines is what will put people back in jobs by getting the industry moving again. As ICAO tracks implementation, it is also critical to track the impact of latest developments in COVID-19 on risk management frameworks, especially as we learn more about the effectiveness of vaccines against transmission.”
The requirements for globally accepted COVID-19 test certificates including the technology framework for securely creating digital versions and the future incorporation of vaccination certificates were also agreed. These recommendations are now included in the ICAO Manual on Testing and Cross-Border Risk Management Measures.
From the perspective of preparing for an industry restart, this is one of the most significant outputs of CART. Public opinion also reflects this with a recent IATA poll reporting that 89 percent of respondents believe that governments must standardize vaccination and testing certificates. It will be a critical element for maximising the benefit of the IATA Travel Pass and other technologies being developed to manage digital travel credentials, the organisation said.
About Guide2Uganda
Guide2Uganda (www.guide2uganda.ug) is the most comprehensive source of travel information about Uganda that exists on the web, with more content on its cities & towns, accommodation, attractions, events, museums and galleries than any other online guide that currently exists for Uganda; as well as being a dynamic travel news and events driven site with fresh content added daily.
According to WeFollow & Peer Index (that measure online influence), we are among the most influential online media organizations in Uganda. Guide2Uganda was also awarded ‘’Best Destination Website in Uganda’’ by Jumia Travel Uganda in the 2018 Africa Travel Awards.
Share your travel stories & photos with the world via email: info@guide2uganda.ug
