Global airlines are calling for Covid-19 testing before departure on international flights as an alternative to government-imposed travel restrictions such as quarantines, which the industry says is denting air travel demand.
Tests that are fast, highly accurate, affordable and easy to administer are expected to be available in October and should be adopted by governments as a globally-accepted standard, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) told reporters on Tuesday at an online conference.
"Much will need to be done to achieve 100 per cent testing of all travellers prior to departure, but we don't see any alternative solution that would be less challenging or more effective," Alexandre de Juniac, Iata's director general, said.
The global aviation industry is reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that has decimated air travel demand. The worst crisis in the industry's history has caused airlines to slash schedules, cut jobs, ground aircraft, defer plane orders and seek financial aid packages from their governments.
Antigen tests – which detect the presence of an active virus in an infected person – should be available in the market within the "coming weeks" Mr de Juniac said. The tests can produce results within 15 minutes and cost less than $10.
Pre-departure testing should give governments the confidence to reopen their borders and assure passengers that their plans will not change due to last-minute travel restrictions, he said.
The tests will only be meaningful if the results are accepted at the arrival destination, requiring governments to agree on common standards, the Iata chief said.
Iata is proposing pre-departure testing as an alternative to quarantines and other travel restrictions that are "killing" passenger traffic.
The industry body is in talks with governments in the International Civil Aviation Organisation as well bilateral discussions with other states to convince them to adopt the testing proposal.
The tests, which could be administered in specially designated makeshift areas of airports, are a medical measure and would therefore be paid for by governments, Iata said.
The proposal comes as airlines are facing a "much weaker" fourth quarter than Iata had anticipated, Brian Pearce, Iata's chief executive, said. In August, passenger traffic has seen "some further improvement" but international air travel remains "very slow to improve", he said.
If implemented, pre-departure testing could "partly save" the winter season for carriers, Mr de Juniac said.
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
'The%20Alchemist's%20Euphoria'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kasabian%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EColumbia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
1.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Al Suhooj, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2pm Handicap (TB) 68,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly
4pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Company%C2%A0profile
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
