Ansa Jordan, the chief of ICAO’s medical aviation section, in a recent webinar describing the public health corridors. In some countries, pilots that have to stay onboard aren’t even allowed on the tarmac to conduct pre-flight safety checks, said Dr.
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In order to maximize their payload, most U.S.-bound freighters make a technical stop to refuel in Anchorage, but airlines can’t afford to install double crews because they are operating at the edge of their crew availability, industry experts say.
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As previously reported, some flights are leaving Shanghai partially full because crews can’t wait until the rest of the load gets through unprecedented warehouse backlogs.
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have short windows to load in China so their crews don’t time out their on-duty clocks and violate fatigue-prevention rules. Full freighter operators that go directly to the U.S. Carriers should also plan for unforeseen delays, such as for unplanned testing of crew members.Īggressive testing and quarantine requirements for disembarking crews in China have led airlines such as Delta Air Lines, which is deploying passenger planes as auxiliary freighters during the pandemic, and UPS to use Seoul, South Korea, or Tokyo as operation centers for shuttling in and out of Chinese cities. For turnarounds, crew are advised to stay in the aircraft, except for walk-around checks. ICAO also said air carriers should just fly between city pairs and avoid long layovers and transits for crews, to the extent possible. ALPA has been unsuccessful so far in getting the Federal Aviation Administration to make the guidelines mandatory and enforce them.
have complained that not all airlines are rigorously following public health guidelines. The Air Line Pilots Association and flight attendants in the U.S. The best practices cover disinfection, personnel screening, dealing with those who have come in contact with a suspected or confirmed COVID-positive person, availability of face masks, and crew distancing and hygiene, before, during and after flights, including layovers.Īccording to the ICAO recommendations, for example, crew members should not use common facilities when staying at a hotel and use room service to eat. The risk-management approach relies on multiple layers of sanitary and hygiene protocols.
Officials said the objective of so-called “public health corridors” is to ensure continued flight operations with minimal restrictions on aircraft operations, prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and protect the health and safety of crews. The first set of “clean” standards addresses flight crews for cargo aircraft.Ī group of public health and aviation officials convened by ICAO also developed a COVID status card for crew members that can help in getting through customs and immigration checkpoints. The United Nations agency, with responsibility for managing the administration of international aviation law, is publishing guidelines to ensure COVID-free aircraft, crews, passengers and airports, saying widespread adoption would create sanitary corridors for essential trade and travel. Currently such flights face severe delays because of inconsistent border restrictions. Governments should follow harmonized hygiene standards for crews, aircraft and airport facilities so authorities have the confidence to freely allow passage of air cargo flights with essential medical supplies and food, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said Wednesday.
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