From BNN Bloomberg – link to story
Governments must adopt ‘risk-based approach’ to help boost air travel industry: IATA CEO
Canadian airlines are doing enough to ward off COVID-19 without needing to resort to “blanket quarantine measures,” according to the industry’s largest trade group.
In a statement released on Monday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the federal government to relax its restrictions on passenger testing and to reopen its skies to international travel.
“It is critical that the Government of Canada acts on these before the economic and social damages become permanent and the public health consequences of mass unemployment become even more apparent,’’ Alexandre de Juniac, IATA director general and chief executive officer, said in a release.
The organization highlighted recent initiatives by Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. as positive steps, with the former partnering with McMaster University on a voluntary study testing international passengers for COVID-19 arriving at Toronto Pearson Airport, and the latter collecting COVID-19 data from select flights out of Vancouver as part of a pilot program.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, opened the possibility for testing international travelers upon arrival at Canadian airports to potentially mitigate the need for extended quarantines on Aug. 28. However, she did not offer a timeline on how such protocols could be implemented.
However, her comments came the same day that the government extended its existing international travel restrictions until the end of September.
IATA said in a release that revenue for airlines operating in or through Canada could fall by $22.6 billion year-over-year, putting more than 400,000 Canadian jobs at risk.
The official statement mirrors comments made by Juniac to BNN Bloomberg last week, with the IATA head saying: “The longer the border closure lasts or travel restrictions are in place, the worse it is for the economy — in Canada and the rest of the world.”