Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK) are commencing a series of trials to test the crew module of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART) Take-off guidelines, ICAO announced Monday (6 July). The guidelines aim to reduce public health risk to air passengers, air crew, airport staff while strengthening confidence among the travelling public in the age of COVID-19.
ICAO, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, Changi Airport, Heathrow Airport, British Airways and Singapore Airlines are participating in the trials. The trials will test the measures for air crew throughout the travel journey between Singapore and the UK. The measures include maintaining safe distancing, meeting all relevant customs, immigration and health requirements, observing good hand hygiene and reduced interactions with passengers. During the layover at the respective countries, aircrew are to remain in their crew accommodation at all times.
- IATA coronavirus resource centre
- ICAO coronavirus resource centre
- Johns Hopkins University Virus Tracking Site
- Air Cargo COVID-19 Action Page
- IATA TACT COVID-19 Operational Impact Portal
- IATA Quick Reference for Ground Handling During COVID-19
- IATA Guidance on the Safe Carriage of Cargo in the Passenger Cabin
- WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic
- International Society for Infection Diseases COVID-19 Page
- ICAO CART Take-off Guidance
The measures are based on the ICAO CART guidelines and customised to each state’s requirements, and have been integrated into the regional implementation planning in support of the Public Health Corridors now being launched by ICAO Data will be collected by the participating parties for all phases of the flights and then ICAO will analysed reviewed by the three partners to strengthen the guidelines where necessary.
Kevin Shum, director general of the CAAS, said “Singapore is pleased to participate in the trials. The ICAO CART Take-off guidance document offers a set of guidelines for coordinating the international aviation community’s steps towards recovery and to build up public confidence for international travel. These guidelines take a flexible and pragmatic approach by focusing on what makes operational and economic sense, bearing in mind that different countries would face different conditions, risks and risk tolerance. The trials will help validate and improve the processes, where needed.”
Richard Moriarty, CEO of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said “aviation is an inherently international industry, so it is critical that we collaborate closely with our partners around the world to address the challenges presented by COVID-19. The UK CAA is therefore very pleased to be contributing to these trials. Ultimately, this work should help keep aviation as safe as possible for both passengers and crew throughout the current pandemic.”
Dr. Fang Liu, ICAO’s secretary general, emphasised that “the CART’s work and deliverables have been developed in league with the ICAO Council member states, our colleagues at the WHO, many other international organisations, and our partners in the aviation industry. They’ve been designed to enable member states and industry to implement harmonised risk mitigation measures in full accordance with the latest medical and traveller health advice available. ICAO’s Public Health Corridor (PHC) is consistent with the CART recommendations and represents the implementation mechanism of the CART Take-off criteria. We want to thank the aviation authorities in Singapore and the United Kingdom for their support and involvement in this trial and their continuous contributions to ICAO.”
For Editorial Inquiries Contact:
Editor Matt Driskill at matt.driskill@asianaviation.com
For Advertising Inquiries Contact:
Head of Sales Kay Rolland at kay.rolland@asianaviation.com
