The arrival of Covid-19 vaccines has created a new short-term conundrum for airlines and airports. While the air travel industry has been pushing for testing to avoid long quarantines and encourage air travel, some countries and health officials are proposing a vaccination or quarantine requirement.
The airlines and airports, after several seasons of lockdowns and uneasy travelers facing quarantines on arrival, keeping business down, are anxious to rebuild traveler confidence, and have bet heavily on testing as the answer, calling on governments for uniform rules. But they’re opposed to a vaccination requirement, saying that it will be so long before large numbers have had access to the vaccine.
The Director General of Airports Council International told Reuters “Just as quarantine effectively halted the industry, a universal requirement for vaccines could do the same. While we welcome the rapid development and deployment of vaccines, there will be a considerable period before they are widely available. The industry cannot wait till vaccination becomes available worldwide. During the transition period, tests and vaccines together will play a key role on the industry recovery.”
