WTTC Responds to Testing on Departure at Airports across Europe

London, United Kingdom, October 21, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “It is very encouraging to see the door beginning to open to allow airport testing on departure. We have been calling for a rapid and cost-effective testing on departure regime at airports around the world for several months now, so this is a step in the right direction.

“Latest WTTC research shows the positive effect airport testing will have to revive international air travel, bring back jobs and resuscitate the global economy. Almost 20 million jobs across Europe could be saved, including three million in Germany, 1.93 million in the UK, 1.91 million in Italy and more than 1.5 million in France.

“That is why we support the introduction of schemes at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris, Heathrow in London and the recent trial which took place between Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and Milan Linate. We hope this will inspire other countries to follow their lead and implement similar initiatives.

“However, to save the global Travel & Tourism sector, we need a standardised international testing protocol. Full cooperation and coordination are crucial to restore seamless travel and remove ineffective and costly quarantines.

“Removing or significantly reducing quarantine times, already introduced by some countries, could restore vital international business travel, first on short-haul flights and then between important financial hubs, such as Frankfurt, London and New York and other key transatlantic services.

“With the commercial aviation sector hanging in the balance, it is more important than ever that we explore every practical avenue to speed up airport testing through targeted pilots.”