That was the message from European aviation leaders at the third annual Airlines for Europe (A4E) forum this week, the group’s first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic.
Chiefs from Ryanair, Vueling, Icelandair and Air Baltic shared the impact of EU Covid-19 travel policies on their respective carriers over the past 18 months.
Together, they also called for an end to the EU’s "haphazard" colour-coded system of travel rules and for the regime to be replaced by a coordinated EU-wide "operational exit plan".
This, they said, would agree common rules on the wearing of face masks and when to remove the requirement for passenger locator forms.
"Aviation cannot afford to remain in pandemic mode while the rest of the economy restarts," said A4E.
There was also broad support for extending the roll-out of the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate by encouraging governments to speed up development of solutions to integrate the checking and verification of DCCs as part of the check-in experience.
"Verification of health data should remain part of an exchange between national authorities and passengers, where airlines only receive an “OK-to-travel” message," said A4E. "Countries like Greece and Spain already have such a system in place, with Germany and other EU countries expected to follow."
‘Common approach’
Delegates also welcomed the planned resumption of air travel to the US from Europe next month, although they said this would also be boosted by recognition of common travel rules between the EU and the US.
“A common approach between the EU and the US is paramount to provide clarity and ensure passenger confidence," said Thomas Reynaert, A4E managing director.
"Travellers on both sides of the Atlantic must be assured that flights are not only back up and running – but that the system actually works in practice.
"To facilitate this, we have urged the US authorities to use the World Health Organization-approved vaccine list as the working basis for future discussions, and we are confident that a coherent approach can be agreed in the coming weeks."
