On holiday with a plane, how should this be done?
Many measures have been taken to prevent the spread of corona. Many new protocols have been made. Think of the 1.5 meters social distancing, not shaking hands and avoiding crowds. Obviously, these protocols are not possible to live up to if you are going on holiday by plane. You can read the protocols that have been made for airlines and airports in this article.
The COVID-19 aviation health safety protocol
New directives have been drawn up to ensure the health of passengers and aviation personnel. These protocols are prepared by the European Union Aviation Agency (EASA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). These guidelines are designed for the entire journey. These directives are therefore intended for airlines and, in addition, for the airports.
The new guidelines
Guidelines are difficult to establish in this case. Each airline operates differently. Many airlines also fly with different aircrafts. The directives on airports are also not easy to draw up. Every airport looks different.
To be as clear and complete as possible, EASA and ECDC have chosen to distinguish 6 different groups from each other. Separate guidelines have been established for:
- Airport operators
- Airplane operators
- Airport staff
- Service providers
- Crew members
- Passengers
A guideline has been drawn up for each target group regarding:
- Physical distancing
- Hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette
- Face masks
- Health safety promotion material
- Cleaning and disinfection
- Heal statement
- Thermal screening
- Passenger assessment booths
- Reduced crew – passenger interaction
- Special disembarking procedure
The first participating organizations
Wizz Air, Aegean Airlines and easyJet are the first airlines to apply the new guidelines. These three airlines will cooperate with the national authorities in order to apply the directives.
As mentioned above, these protocols also apply to airports. There are seven airports that are going to apply the directives. These seven airports consist of the AENA in Spain, Fraport in Germany, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Nice in France, Athens airport in Greece, the SEA from Italy and Brussels airport in Belgium.
The above-mentioned airlines and airports will work together a lot. Each organization works differently and is different. So, organizations will need to communicate with each other a lot about how they solve any problems. It is also important that good contact is maintained with the EASA and the ECDC. The organizations will have to continue to share their findings with everyone. This will help to make a better assessment of whether the guidelines work.
Joe Kuijpers
As chief operating officer I am responsible for the operational affairs within Claim24. My daily activities consist of monitoring or improving our services and managing our team of enthusiastic employees in the Netherlands and +10 international countries.
