ACI EUROPE (Airports Council International) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the adoption of an EU Council Recommendation for external travellers coming into the EU and called for further action to help re-start air connectivity.

The new regime aligns with the Recommendation already adopted in January regarding intra-EU travel, and thus further strengthens the principle of travel criteria based on travellers’ personal health status rather than on the epidemiological situation of the country or area of departure.

Airports and airlines both pointed to the body of evidence supporting this approach, with unequivocal guidance from the World Health Organization along with independent third party research showing that travel restrictions have little or no impact on epidemiological spread.

The Recommendation adopted includes the criteria that:

• EU States should accept all travellers fully vaccinated with EU approved vaccines without any restrictions or conditions.
• EU States should accept all travellers fully vaccinated with other WHO listed vaccines and recovered travellers either without any restrictions / conditions or only with the requirement of a negative pre-departure PCR test.
• EU States could also fully accept fully vaccinated travellers not holding a valid EU DCC or equivalent, subject to a negative pre-departure PCR test.

While the Recommendation is an undoubted step forward, the industry called for EU States to move further, towards an unconditional acceptance of all WHO-approved vaccines, and also replacing PCR with rapid antigen testing options.

“We now know beyond any doubt that a regime based on travellers’ personal health status is right for individuals, for economies and for societies.  There is no evidence to support any other approach.  As the safe resumption of air connectivity gathers pace, it is vital that Member States implement this recommendation, bringing structure, predictability and harmonisation to the benefit of all.  We urge them to do so,” said Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE.

“We welcome this logical Recommendation by the European Council. A vaccinated traveler from outside the EU should be treated no differently to one inside the EU. While we urge Member States to implement this Recommendation as an important step towards living normally with this virus, it is important that the EU considers more flexibility on the approved vaccine list,” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe.