Muscat: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments to make real progress towards restoring global air connectivity.
While several countries have eased the quarantine rules for fully vaccinated travellers, the cost of PCR tests on either side of the travel continues to be a major economic factor in the travel plans of a passenger.
In the Sultanate of Oman, the RT-PCR test costs RO15 + RO5 (for MOH certificate) per person, plus the travel plans are always on tenterhooks till the results are confirmed.
In the Sultanate of Oman, the RT-PCR test costs RO15 + RO5 (for MOH certificate) per person.
Travel operators are urging governments to do away with PCR tests or replace them with simpler antigen tests for fully vaccinated travellers.
“We do not know whether it is technical or not; sometimes results can be disappointing even though a person has no symptoms and is totally healthy,” said a travel operator.
He added, “It affects the mood of the passenger, and rescheduling or getting refunds from airlines are equally painful.”
“People who are yet to travel in the last two years since the outbreak are nervous about PCR tests and other travel-related requirements. Government should give some concessions to fully vaccinated and healthy passengers.”
Recently, at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) High-Level Conference on COVID-19 (HLCC), the participating states agreed to follow around 14 measures to help airlines meet consumers' demands worldwide for a revival of air travel.
These measures, which will help safely restore international connectivity and support the revival of the global economy, were mutual recognition and accessibility to digital applications, secure validation of pandemic-related testing, vaccination and recovery certification that protects the privacy and personal data.
The conference called for technical considerations for implementing a risk-based approach to international travel in the context of Covid-19 and providing exceptions for non-vaccinated passengers, which will help work towards strengthening the confidence of the travelling public and safely rebuilding international civil aviation.
IATA has said that that government-imposed restrictions continue to stop a revival of international travel. It remains 70 per cent down on pre-crisis levels.
“The airline industry, 88 million livelihoods, .5 per cent of global GDP, and billions of travellers are counting on governments to deliver on the risk-managed reopening of international travel to which they have committed,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General.
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