BUSINESS NEWS


Passengers in future will be expected to carry a ‘sufficient supply of masks’ for their whole journey


EU unveils safety rules for post-lockdown flying


Face masks and distancing won’t be the only changes in the air. Ian Taylor reports It states: “Airlines and airport


Flying post-lockdown will be transformed by Covid-19 safety requirements for airlines and airports, with draft guidance issued by the EU Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) last week. Easa protocols will shape standard


practice across Europe, with airport access limited to passengers, crew and staff, except for those providing assistance; airports and airlines required “to avoid queueing as much as practicable”; passengers advised “to minimise use of airport facilities”; and the opening of airport shops and restaurants limited. The Easa guidance rules out


so-called “immunity passports” for 32 21 MAY 2020


passengers tested for Covid-19 as “not supported by scientific knowledge”. But it requires airlines add “a health- monitoring questionnaire to online check-in” and modify hand luggage, seat allocation and boarding practices. Easa recommends face masks be


worn by “all passengers and persons in the airport” except at security checks and border control, with passengers reminded to “ensure a sufficient supply of masks” for an entire journey, given masks should be replaced every four hours. Passengers should “minimise” their


hand luggage, with no more than one cabin bag allowed. Easa recommends “incentive policies to promote carriage of luggage in cargo”.


operators should . . . ensure physical distancing at all times, especially during check-in, security check, pre-boarding and boarding.” Where this is not possible, it calls for “additional risk mitigation”. Where buses are used for boarding,


Easa recommends using more buses “to accommodate distancing”. Where passengers board by a bridge, it recommends “boarding by rows, starting with the farthest from the aircraft doors”. On board, airlines should “avoid


Continued on page 30 travelweekly.co.uk


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PICTURES: Shutterstock; Rüdiger Nehmzow; Steve Dunlop


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