Airlines have requested the World Health Organization to rule it’s safe to fly without quarantining after a coronavirus vaccine, according to Bloomberg. Led by the International Air Transport Association, the airlines say the acknowledgement is vital to developing a digital-travel pass and getting people moving again.
- IATA wants the development of common standards for vaccine certificates, a key aspect of the association’s proposed Travel Pass smartphone app, to move much faster.
- Paper-based accreditation has been cited as more open to fraud, which paves the way for the IATA app that can be used to store a negative test result, due to be launched in March.
- There are concerns that not every government will adopt the common standards, and instead, WHO recommends countries to implement coordinated evidence-based measures for safe travel.
- WHO doesn’t recommend countries to demand proof of vaccinations from incoming travelers as the impact of the inoculations in reducing transmissions is unknown.
- IATA calls for vaccinated travelers being exempted from restrictions has been backed by Greece, and talks are continuing with the European Union and nation-states in the bloc as well as regulators.
Global airline stocks are currently mixed. AAL: NASDAQ is up 9.82%, LUV: NYSE is down 1.29%, UAL: NASDAQ is up 0.63%, 0293: HKG is up 0.15%, EZJ: LON is down 2.08%
