In addition to the safety guidelines, EASA created a protocol on aviation security to monitor the implementation of the rules, a project that is still in a pilot phase and has a total of 25 European operators, including airport managers and air carriers.
“It would be good if Portuguese operators – such as Lisbon airport or TAP – proactively join the security protocol to implement the rules, in order to help develop the network more quickly with other European cities, airports and other operators that committed to these standards, ”said Patrick Ky.
The official explained that this “is an open process, so anyone who wants to can participate, the only condition being that those who participate must adopt the rules and commit to giving‘ feedback ’to EASA”.
“If a Portuguese operator wants to join, it will be very well received”, concluded Patrick Ky.
Air travel will not contribute to the spread of the virus
The European Aviation Safety Agency is convinced that the resumption of air travel in the Community space “will not contribute to the spread” of covid-19, provided that health rules are followed to avoid “risky situations”.
“What we can guarantee is that air travel will not contribute to the spread of the virus”, underlined the executive director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Patrick Ky, in an interview with the Lusa agency.
“This means that if all the guidelines and protocols that we are creating are effectively implemented [pelos operadores], we managed to ensure that the risk of spreading the virus on an aircraft or in a related space is minimized “, added the official.
With Member States of the European Union (EU) beginning to reopen their internal and external borders and airlines resuming travel, after a suspension of almost three months due to the covid-19 outbreak, EASA reported, together with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, safety guidelines for passengers, airports and carriers apply from arrival at the place of departure to departure at the destination terminal.
“I think that, with all the measures that we are proposing, there will be enough confidence in the resumption of air travel,” said Patrick Ky, noting “having no doubt that the operators will apply the procedures”.
This is because “it is in everyone’s interest that the rules are consistently followed,” he added.
And these safety guidelines start by focusing on what “the passenger has to do before the flight […], in particular with the fact of avoiding traveling when sick or with symptoms related to covid-19, and then indicate how to enter the airports, without accompanying people who are not going to travel, and who must wear a mask at all times at the airport , as in the ‘check-in’ and security zones, and resort whenever possible to social distance “, listed Patrick Ky.
Then, “they focus on the moment of boarding, on how passengers should be treated on board the aircraft and on how meals and drinks should be served,” added the official, speaking of a “combination of measures”.
“They are, in fact, practical procedures to help manage passengers and to allow air travel to be safe,” he added.
Patrick Ky assured Lusa that he had no “major concerns” in this resumption of air travel, but pointed out two “risk situations” related to “the behavior of passengers”.
“We are telling passengers not to travel if they are sick and we are taking some measurements [de temperatura corporal] to ensure that they have no symptoms, but they can insist on traveling and thus put other passengers at risk, “he said.
And he asked: “What happens on board an aircraft if someone starts to cough, sneeze and get the temperature higher?”
The other situation “that needs to be monitored” is the non-compliance by passengers with rules such as the use of a mask.
“The cabin crew was trained to handle these cases, but these are issues that we have to manage,” concluded Patrick Ky.
Created in 2002, EASA guarantees safety in the civil aviation sector in Europe, monitoring and promoting harmonized standards for the 27 Member States and other economic partners in the region.
Headquartered in Cologne, Germany, and with an office in the Belgian capital, Brussels, the agency brings together aeronautical sector authorities at European level, including the Portuguese National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC).
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