IATA boss Juniac: Don't wait for the vaccine to arrive. Association advocates cheap antigen tests.
The international airline association IATA has once again appealed to national governments to facilitate air traffic with more corona rapid tests. Despite all the positive news about scientific advances, one cannot wait until a vaccine is available, said IATA boss Alexandre de Juniac on Monday immediately before the start of the annual meeting in Amsterdam. The restart of international air traffic must begin immediately.
The industry and its service providers have made great efforts to make the travel process safer, said IATA experts. Staying in an airplane is much safer than in a classroom or in an office. Comprehensive corona tests immediately before the flight could provide additional security. The current quarantine regulations for travelers, on the other hand, are partly inconclusive and inefficient.
Instead of exact PCR tests, the IATA advocates the use of cost-effective and faster-to-evaluate antigen tests that could provide up to 99 percent accurate results. An expert said that the cost per test is currently 5 to 10 dollars (4.2 to 8.4 euros). The mass tests could also help identify symptom-free corona infected people.
Air traffic has been suffering from travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic for months. The organization wants to publish a new outlook on the economic consequences on Tuesday.
