With the opening of the borders for regional and international air travel, the International Air Traffic Association ( IATA) has called on governments in the Middle East to harmonize biosafety measures for passengers across the region. The Middle East is currently is the top transit hub to connect the European, Western countries with the Asian continents
A global framework for restarting aviation while protecting public health has been agreed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and published in the Take-Off guidance. However, inconsistent application of these biosafety measures along with unnecessary border constraints is deterring passengers and suppressing the resumption of air travel in the Middle East.
“We are starting to see some governments in the Middle East open their borders to regional and international air travel. This is good news but those flying for the first time since the lifting of restrictions face an array of different types of biosafety measures and procedures – which is causing confusion among passengers and delaying the recovery,” said Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East.
As per IATA there are three main areas where more harmonization is required:
·COVID-19 Testing
·Quarantine
·Contact Tracing and Health Data