Airline and airport organisations A4E, IATA and ACI Europe have issued a joint statement criticising a recommendation agreed by EU member states that passengers arriving from China should require a negative Covid-19 test.
The EU’s Integrated Political Crisis Response group (IPCR) announced the recommendation on Wednesday this week after several EU nations, including France, Italy and Spain, had already introduced screening procedures.
Airlines for Europe, the International Air Transport Association and Airports Council International said the recommendation was “at odds” with the assessment published by the European Centre for Disease Protection and Control earlier this week which “confirms that the current surge of Covid-19 cases in China is not expected to impact the epidemiological situation in the EU/EEA”.
The organisations argue that Covid-19 variants seen in China are already present in the EU, whilst the union’s population also has higher immunity.
“Systematically testing incoming travellers from China cannot be considered a scientifically driven and risk-based measure,” said the joint statement.
The organisations said that although the EU recommendation – which also includes the wearing of face masks on flights between China and the EU – largely “amounts to a knee-jerk reaction, it is now vital that they are implemented by EU member states in a fully uniform manner.”
It continued: “We urge EU member states and China to work together and to reconsider at the earliest opportunity their requirements for systematic pre-departure testing of travellers based on a scientifically driven risk assessment.”
Instead, the organisations said a recommendation from IPCR to test wastewater from airports and aircraft arriving from China offers an alternative approach.
“This must however come with detailed consideration of technical and operational practicalities before any decision is taken to deploy wastewater sampling at airports and aircraft,” said the organisations' joint statement.
“When required, airports and airlines will do their utmost to facilitate such sampling – on the understanding that it needs to be carried out by the competent health authorities, as airport and airline staff are not qualified to do so.”