JOINT PR IATA IFALPA STATES URGED TO FOLLOW GLOBAL GUIDELINES ON CREW TESTING

PRESS RELEASE

States Urged to Follow Global Guidelines on Crew Testing

7 December 2020 (Montreal) - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and

the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) jointly called on

governments to follow the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council

Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) guidelines to exempt crews from COVID-19

testing that is applied to air travelers.

The CART guidelines specifically recommend that crew members should not be subject

to screening or restrictions applicable to other travelers. Furthermore, according to

CART health screening methods for crew members should be as “non-invasive as

possible.”

Despite this guidance, an increasing number of States are applying the same public

health measures for crew that are applied to the general traveling public. Such

measures include providing proof of a negative COVID test prior to departure and in

some cases, a second negative COVID test is required upon arrival. Furthermore,

several civil aviation regulators only allow crew members with a negative COVID-19

PCR test certificate to layover in their respective countries.

“These measures not only contravene the recommended ICAO global guidance, they

fail to take into account the fact that interactions with the local population are

minimized,” said Gilberto Lopez Meyer, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Safety and Flight

Operations. For example, crew on layover are often restricted to the hotel. Such

measures also ignore the fact that airlines already comply with the requirements of

their home country health protection and monitoring programs to manage crew health,

which typically includes measures to reduce the risk of infection.

“The measures being employed by some States are not only contravening the

recommended guidance but are also putting undue stress and pressure on crews. The

guidance provided has been carefully developed to ensure operations can continue

without jeopardizing safety for both crews and passengers,” said Captain Jack Netskar,

IFALPA President.

In addition to the intrusion and physical discomfort of daily COVID-19 testing, there are

significant cost considerations. One global airline has estimated the cost of complying

with such requirements for a single daily flight would add up to an additional US

$950,000 per year.

“Airlines are willing to invest in safety that delivers meaningful outcomes, but that is

not the case with unilateral, uncoordinated testing requirements. States should

acknowledge that crew present a different risk profile than passengers and that more

flexibility and relaxation of testing requirements and/or quarantine could be considered

including exemptions,” said Lopez Meyer.

IATA & IFALPA Joint Statement on Crew Testing

For more information, please contact:

IATA Corporate Communications

Tel: +41 22 770 2967

Email: corpcomms@iata.org

IFALPA Communications

Tel: +1 514 419 1191

Email: communications@ifalpa.org

Notes for Editors:

• IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 290 airlines comprising 82% of global air traffic.
• You can follow us at https://twitter.com/iata for announcements, policy positions, and other useful industry information.
• The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations represents more than 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries around the globe. You can follow IFALPA on twitter at https://twitter.com/ifalpa and visit www.ifalpa.org for more information.