Landing bans should soon be a thing of the past, instead passengers should “clean up” their summer vacation.
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The State Secretary in the Climate Ministry, Magnus Brunner (ÖVP), speaks out against the landing bans imposed by Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens).
Brunner said Tuesday, after meeting representatives from the airline industry, that a “double testing strategy” would replace the bans currently in place in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. The industry has been criticizing the travel rules for a long time. The landing bans were recently extended to February 7th.
Alternatives to landing bans
These were important as a first step, “but we should move away from landing bans as quickly as possible, towards entry restrictions,” said Brunner. This was seen by all participants in the aviation summit.
Brunner stated that the landing bans could be circumvented by the airlines, and this has actually happened. A negative test before departure from high-risk countries and a quarantine with a free test option after arrival are therefore more sensible. But an EU-wide approach is needed, according to the State Secretary responsible for aviation.
The landing bans were imposed because more contagious mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are rampant in Great Britain, South Africa and Brazil. Austria has also extended the lockdown because of the mutations, as has Germany and other European countries.
Vaccination certificate for summer vacation
For the summer of 2021, Brunner is working with the aviation industry, according to his information, on a strategy called “clean testing for summer vacation”. Passengers should therefore only be allowed to board an aircraft with a negative test or proof of vaccination. “I am also convinced that vaccination can replace quarantine,” said the politician. This should not be a compulsory vaccination through the back door, because it will not work in Austria, stressed Brunner, even if the international trend is going in this direction.
Brunner also discussed the corona aid with the industry representatives and agreed to work to ensure that there must be a “special solution” for airlines and airports for short-time work. It is expected that the industry will need several more years to recover from the corona crisis.
