Airports, airlines hail new EU Council recommendation on travel into the EU

ACI Europe (International Airports Council) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have welcomed the adoption of the EU Council recommendation for facilitated entry rules for foreign travellers coming to the EU. They also called for further action to help resume air connection.

ACI Europe announced that both airports and airlines showed the evidence which supports this approach, along with clear guidelines from the World Health Organisation and independent research from third parties, which show that travel restrictions do not affect the spread of the virus, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to the new Recommendation of the EU Council, from March 1, 2022, the Member States should permit entry for third-country nationals vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have recovered from the virus even for non-essential purposes.

In a statement issued on February 22, the Council notes that the changes introduced are addressed to respond to the evolution of the pandemic, as well as the high rating of vaccination and booster doses administered, and the growing number of certificates issued by third countries as equivalent to the EU Covid digital certificate.

This new regime is in line with the recommendation adopted in January concerning travel within the EU, which also strengthens the elaboration of further travel criteria based on the personal health status of travellers and not on the epidemiological situation of the country.

Due to the recommendation adopted yesterday, EU states are strongly urged to accept all fully vaccinated travellers with vaccines approved by the EU without any restrictions or conditions.

EU states are also advised to permit entry for all travellers vaccinated with other vaccines listed by the WHO and travellers who recently recovered from the virus without any restrictions or conditions or only upon request of a negative PCR test before departure.

In addition, EU states can fully accept vaccinated travellers who do not have a valid EU DCC or equivalent, subject to a negative PCR test before departure. The industry has also called on EU countries to take the facilitation of entry restrictions one step further by unconditionally accepting all WHO-approved vaccines and replacing PCR with other rapid testing options. The General Director of ACI Europe, Oliver Jankovec, said that the member states should be ready to implement this Recommendation as the safe resumption of air connection increases.

"We now know beyond any doubt that a regime based on travellers' personal health status is right for individuals, for economies, and for societies," he pointed out.

In addition, the International Air Transport Association has also urged the Member States to follow this Recommendation because it will help establish a normal life with the virus. In this regard, the IATA Regional Vice President for Europe, Rafael Schvartzman, insisted that travellers who are vaccinated from outside the EU should be treated in the same way as those who are vaccinated inside the EU.

"Momentum toward normalizing traffic is growing. Vaccinated travellers have the potential to travel much more extensively with fewer hassles than even a few weeks ago. This is giving growing numbers of travellers the confidence to buy tickets. And that is good news! Now we need to further accelerate the removal of travel restrictions. While recent progress is impressive, the world remains far from 2019 levels of connectivity. Thirteen of the top 50 travel markets still do not provide easy access to all vaccinated travellers.