This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 19, 2020 - October 25, 2020

To soak in the sights, sounds and scents of distant lands. To close business deals and to be with family and loved ones during special moments or to be at the bedside as a last breath is taken. These are but some of the many reasons we have taken a flight at some point in our lives.

But it has not been possible to do so in the last six months since governments closed their countries’ borders to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

We don’t know when the disease will be eradicated. The development of an effective and globally recognised vaccine is an important step. But it will take time for it to be produced and distributed around the globe.

Until that happens, we need to live with Covid-19 while taking precautions. This applies to reopening borders and restoring aviation connectivity around the world. Doing so will help with economic recovery and preserve the 65.5 million jobs globally that depend on the aviation industry.

Even though some countries have since reopened their borders, albeit cautiously, many people are still not travelling. The fact is, quarantine discourages travel. In a recent 11-market survey of travellers, 83% indicated that they will not travel if there is a chance of being quarantined at their destination.

We recognise governments have imposed quarantine measures to prevent the importation of Covid-19 into their countries. Even if borders are reopened, maintaining a 14-day quarantine has the same net effect as closing borders.

If the travel and tourism sector is to recover from the pandemic, an alternative to quarantine is needed.

That is why the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for the systematic testing of all international travellers before departure. Pre-departure testing will reduce the risk of importing Covid-19 and be an alternative to quarantine. It can also reassure travellers that their fellow passengers on the same flight are not infected.

Travellers say they are willing to accept testing. In the same survey, 84% agreed that testing should be required of all travellers, and 88% agreed that they are willing to undergo testing as part of the travel process.

We did not come to this decision lightly. The integration of systematic testing into the travel process will present logistical challenges and impact how people travel. We will need manufacturers to develop tests that are fast, accurate, scalable, affordable and easy to use.

And considering the potential scale of testing required, non-medical personnel will need to be able to operate it effectively. Governments and health authorities will also need to agree on common standards so that tests administered in the departure country are accepted on arrival.

Much still needs to be done to achieve 100% testing of all travellers prior to departure. We are working through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is leading efforts to develop and implement global standards for the safe operation of international air services amid the pandemic.

We recognise that air transport is not the only sector with a critical need for testing. The needs of medical personnel must be the first priority. We hope testing for air travel will be made a priority after medical needs have been met.

Aviation has a track record of pulling together to meet major challenges. We did it with security after 9/11, on the environment and on safety. It is a matter of time before we deliver an effective alternative to quarantine that will be accepted by governments and their health authorities.

I have spent almost 40 years in the airline industry, and a question I am often asked is whether it is safe to fly.

A total of 1.2 billion people have travelled since the beginning of the year, with 44 cases reported where secondary transmission on board the flight potentially occurred. That is one case for every 27 million travellers. We recognise this may be an underestimate, but even if 90% of the cases were unreported, it would be one case for every 2.7 million travellers. The data is telling us that the risk of on-board transmission is very low compared with other public indoor environments.

There are reasons why the risk is low. There are factors in the cabin that naturally limit the spread of droplets — everyone faces forward, the seatbacks act as a barrier between rows, people generally do not move around very much on a flight, and the air in the aircraft cabin circulates from the top to the bottom of the cabin (instead of along the length of the fuselage).

The quality of the air on board is also much better than in most indoor environments. Cabin air in modern aircraft is 50% fresh air from outside the aircraft and 50% recirculated air, which goes through High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that are 99.993% effective in removing bacteria and viruses such as Covid-19.

The HEPA filters work at the same level as those used in a hospital operating theatre or industrial clean room. And the air in the cabin is refreshed 20 to 30 times an hour, about 10 times more than in most office buildings.

Besides the cabin characteristics, the industry has also taken steps to further lower the risk of transmission.

Safety is the aviation industry’s No 1 priority. That includes bio-safety. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, airlines have made changes to the travel experience to keep their passengers and crew safe.

If you board a flight today, you will be required to wear a face mask throughout the flight. Even the crew are doing so.

Masks are an important line of defence as they can, when worn properly, reduce the spread of the virus. This protects others on the flight in the event a person is infected and asymptomatic.

The inflight service has also been simplified. This is to reduce interaction between passengers and the crew. Congregation of passengers in the cabin is also reduced, for example, there are no queues to use the washrooms.

To minimise the risk of virus transmission through contact, airlines are performing deeper and more frequent cleaning to sanitise common areas. Common touch items, such as inflight magazines, have also been removed from the seat pockets.

These airline measures are part of ICAO’s Take-off guidance to restart aviation. IATA, individual governments, the World Health Organization and many industry partners contributed to the development of the guidance.

In addition to the measures taken on a flight, the key elements of the guidance include:

These pragmatic guidelines will reduce the risk of transmission when travelling. They were developed in record time, under the leadership of ICAO and with the full support of industry. Now they must be implemented.

Because aviation is a network business, the implementation must be universal. With many governments trying to restart their economies, they must act fast.

Passengers too have a role to play to prevent the transmission and importation of Covid-19, and protect themselves and their fellow travellers. Besides wearing a face mask properly throughout the entire travel process, it is important to practice good hand hygiene.

That means washing your hands regularly with soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially after contact with commonly touched surfaces on the aircraft.

Given the characteristics of the aircraft cabin, the implementation of the take-off guidance across the industry and precautions taken by passengers, we will be able to fly safe despite Covid-19. And when testing prior to departure is implemented, it will give passengers even greater assurance.

This crisis has demonstrated how much is lost when the world cannot travel. Some have said that travel is forever changed or reduced. I do not think so.

For sure, business travellers will question their travel habits. And leisure travel will be impacted by economic uncertainty.

Although we are connecting through Zoom, Teams, Skype or other technologies, it is not the same as being there in person — to hug a loved one, to experience a new culture or even to assess the body language of a potential client or partner when negotiating a business deal.

That is not something people forget or lose their desire for. We will see measures that will mean people can fly again — and not just restricted to essential flights — and when we do so, you can be assured that it will be done safely.

Conrad Clifford is regional vice-president, Asia-Pacific, of the International Air Transport Association

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