Following up the Commission’s Communication to encourage the progressive restoration of transport services, on 20 May 2020 the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued the new Guidelines defining measures to assure the health safety of passengers and aviation personnel once airlines resume regular flight schedules following the coronavirus outbreak.

The document highlights in the first place the measures to be followed at all times such as, amongst the others, i) access to airport terminals limited to workers, crew members and passengers, ii) a 1.5 metres distance between passengers to be kept as far as possible, iii) the constant wearing of medical face masks for all passengers above 6 years old from the moment they enter the terminal building at the departure airport until they exit the terminal building at the destination airport, and iv) no “immunity passports” since they are not supported by the current scientific knowledge.

Before arriving at the airport, future passengers should be informed by aeroplane and airport operators on the current travel restrictions, and in particular with regard to the measures concerning symptomatic passengers, who are encouraged not to present themselves at the airport since their boarding may be refused. Furthermore, passengers should be allowed to buy their tickets and do the check-in online to the greatest extent possible, in order to minimise contact on departure. For this purpose, and as part of such process, the EASA and the ECDC encourage passengers to provide a statement regarding their health status before being issued a boarding pass. 

Once at the airport, those who after the temperature checks, which should be performed by a validated non-invasive method and performed after entering the airport premises, end up having a skin temperature of 38°C or higher should repeat the test at least once and, should that be the case, be referred to secondary assessment by a health professional. After boarding, whose procedures will depend on the single airports, where allowed by the passenger load, cabin configuration and mass and balance requirements, airlines should ensure, to the extent possible, physical distancing among passengers and, should this not be possible, adhere at all times to all the other preventive measures including wearing a face mask. Finally, aeroplane operators should cooperate to ensure physical distancing is practiced as much as possible during the disembarkation procedure, whose procedures will depend, once again, on the single airports.

Marco Stillo