Airlines for America, along with 28 other airline, travel and business organizations, wrote to White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Ziants on Wednesday requesting that pre-departure COVID testing be phased out for vaccinated international passengers.
According to the letter, "the removal of the requirement will greatly aid the recovery of travel and aviation in the United States and around the world without increasing the spread of COVID-19 and its variants."
The pandemic has had a major impact on the airline industry, resulting in flight restrictions and cancellations. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, global passenger traffic will decrease by 49% in 2021 compared to 2019. Compared to 2019, revenue is expected to decline by $324 billion in 2021. According to the US Census Bureau, passenger traffic in 2020 was 60% less than in 2019. The Government Accountability Office is responsible for ensuring that the government is held accountable, however, estimates show that the decline in revenue and global passenger traffic is slowing, with the International Civil Aviation Organization projecting 28 to 33. Percentage decline in global passenger traffic in 2022 compared to 2019 levels.
According to the US Department of Transportation, all international airline passengers aged 2 and older arriving in the United States must present proof of a negative COVID test, or proof of COVID recovery, within 24 hours of flight departure . state Department. According to CNBC, the Trump administration implemented a policy in January 2021 that requires arriving international air travelers to show proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of departure.
delete letter, airline group, pre-departure COVID test
According to the letter, a survey found that pre-departure testing is the most important factor in deciding whether to travel internationally.
Because COVID is so widespread in the United States, attempting to contain it with air travel restrictions is unlikely to change the spread, according to the letter, which notes that at least 22% of the population has COVID.
According to the letter, the European Union also advised its member countries to lift the COVID travel restrictions within Europe as well as the United Kingdom's pre-departure testing. Britain's The Associated Press reported that Transport Secretary Shapps announced last month that pre-departure testing for vaccinated passengers would be phased out from February 11.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised states to adopt a risk-based approach to facilitate international travel by easing COVID policies, according to the letter. On Tuesday, however, the WHO urged governments to tighten COVID restrictions to combat the virus, according to Newsweek, citing the 90 million cases Omicron had identified for the first time.
Roger Dow, president and CEO of the United States Travel Association, said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that international inbound air travel is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, according to CNBC. He claims that "leaves a huge amount of land to build on."