ACI Europe Welcomes Decision to Remove Face Mask Requirement in EU Flights
In a statement issued on May 11, ACI stated that because of the reflection of the epidemiological situation, the updated guide advises aligning the rules for wearing masks at airports and aircraft on board with national regulations for public transport in both arriving and departing states.
According to ACI, wearing the mask is no longer mandatory on public transport, and this should also be implemented at airports and aircraft on board, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
“Removes the requirement to ensure physical distancing within terminals and other airport areas,” the statement reads.
In addition, the guide advises removing restrictions on entry to the airport terminals so that passengers have access to many other visitors to use the range of services there.
Another piece of advice comes from the updated guide showing that where health checks and testing requirements remain in place, states should implement “One-Stop” Agreements in order to avoid repeated checks between departure, transit, and arrival processes.
In this regard, Director General of ACI EUROPE, Olivier Jankovec, noted that EASA-ECDC Aviation Health Safety Protocol over the last two years, has been essential to provide risk-based and uniform safeguards against COVID-19 for air travel across Europe.
“This remains the case with today’s update, with guidelines that continue to be effective, proportionate, and practical – and which reflect the fact that an increasing number of states no longer mandate wearing face masks nor social distancing for travel,” he also pointed out.
According to Director Jankovec, this new guideline marks another step in the safe recovery of European aviation and tourism, seeing how demand is growing rapidly, and the outlook for the summer is very positive.
In addition, Jankovec indicated that this would make the travel experience much more enjoyable and, at the same time, should help facilitate operations while keeping passengers and staff safe. Then, he also thanked EASA and ECDC for their continued commitment together with ACI EUROPE and the rest of the industry, thus calling on European countries to implement these measures.
Similarly, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also welcomed the decision of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in recommending the abolition of the obligation to wear a mask on flights to European countries.
