Latest World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) research suggests that the roll-out of widespread testing for Covid-19 at European airports will revive international air travel, save jobs and kick-start the global economy.
October 21st, 2020 - The WTTC believe that airport testing could preserve as many as 20 million jobs across Europe, including three million in Germany, 1.9 million in the UK, 1.9 million in Italy and more than 1.5 million in France.
Heathrow airport near London launched a trial testing scheme this week, while Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris also announced similar measures.
There is speculation that both Fiumicino Airport in Rome and Milan Linate will roll out a testing regime soon.
In response to the announcements, the WTTC president, Gloria Guevara, 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.”
“We hope this will inspire other countries to follow their lead and implement similar initiatives,” added Guevara.
“However, to save the global 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.”
The WTTC works with governments, destinations, communities and other stakeholders to drive economic development, create jobs, reduce poverty and build the sustainable growth potential of the worldwide travel sector.
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Karen is a senior contributor at TravelIndustryReporter.com and brings with her a wealth of knowledge about the travel industry. Karen is a native of the USA and has held various media and PR positions over the last 10 years. Karen is a graduate of Washington State University.
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