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The Government should axe tough Covid-19 quarantines for travellers in favour of virus tests and vaccination proofs to restart aviation, the industry said on Thursday.
The National Civil Aviation Development Forum (NCADF) published details of a plan to restart the industry, responsible for up 140,000 jobs before the pandemic struck.
The organisation wants the Government to reintroduce the EU’s traffic light system for travel, which grades regions according to their infection risk and favours pre- and post-arrival testing over quarantines for incoming travellers.
“Having due regard to the relevance of proof of vaccination, existing testing requirements and EU rules on free movement of persons, any requirement for quarantine should be proportionate and based on transparent and objective criteria,” the forum’s plan states.
The report warns that the Republic cannot function as a closed economy without suffering permanent damage.
It points out that aviation, responsible for 90 per cent of arrivals into the State, cannot begin recovering until the ban on non-essential travel is lifted.
Lifting the ban
The NCADF calls on the Government to confirm the conditions that will allow the ban to be lifted and the restoration of travel to destinations that meet those conditions.
Donal Moriarty, chief corporate affairs officer of Aer Lingus, argued that it was “critically important” for the Government to take the steps needed to implement the plan.
Aer Lingus and rival Ryanair are members of the forum, along with State airport companies, DAA and Shannon Group, and employers’ body Ibec.
The forum’s steering committee met transport ministers Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton last month, when it was agreed that Government and the industry should work on ending Covid curbs to restore foreign travel.