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Though last week the European Union’s executive said it was not recommending social distancing on airplanes as part of a strategy to restart tourism in Europe, there was a change of course yesterday following new recommendations from the European Centres for Disease Control (ECDC).
Airlines have warned it would not be economically viable to operate planes with many empty seats. Last week it appeared the European Commission was sympathetic to this argument, and it did not advise national governments to institute such distancing requirements for their airlines. However, they did not go as far as airlines wanted by advising against such measures.
The lack of clear guidance for distancing on airplanes has concerned public health experts who worry about the virus spreading in airplanes over the summer. It also angered passenger rail carriers, for whom the European Commission did advise mandatory social distancing measures to be put in place.
The Commission had already signalled last week that it might rethink the plane distancing issue, with a spokesperson saying they were consulting with the ECDC and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and would come out with further guidance.
That new guidance document from the ECDC and EASA, published yesterday, says “aeroplane operators, airport operators and service providers should ensure that physical distancing of 1.5 meters is maintained wherever this is operationally feasible.” On airplanes, “this may be achieved by leaving at least one seat empty between passengers, increasing the distance between the seats or leaving every other row empty”. It also repeats the tourism strategy’s recommendation that passengers be made to wear face masks during the entire flight and not be allowed to line up to use the toilet. It appears that the recommendation for leaving every other seat empty was added at the last minute, as it did not appear in a previous draft.
However, whether or not to require these distancing measures will still be up to the EU’s national governments, and critics worry that these guidelines are still not clear and will result in varying interpretations throughout Europe this summer. While some airlines have put in place empty rows or empty seats during the height of the outbreak, none have committed to keeping this in place over the summer. The fear is that some governments will require it and some won’t, resulting in a confusing situation for passengers with rules depending on where the plane is taking off and landing.
While some airlines might bargain that leaving some empty seats would be reassuring enough to attract customers away from competitors, others, such as Ryanair, have said they would ground planes rather than operate with social distancing – because they would lose money by operating the flights.
The airlines have warned that a lack of coordinated policy within the EU will inhibit recovery. Eurocontrol, the EU association of air traffic controllers, outlined two scenarios last month showing that uncoordinated measures will not allow the sector to recover by next year.
Eurocontrol
The guidance advises against temperature checks at airports, saying they would be ineffective while also coming at a very high cost, and could give a false sense of security. The airlines want such checks to be carried out, but they say they should be done by government authorities and not themselves. Health experts have pointed out that passengers can easily spread the virus without having a high temperature.
Airlines have also said they will require masks to be worn and have highlighted this as a key to making flying safe this summer. But the guidance document says masks can only be considered a “complementary measure and not as a replacement for established preventive measures, such as physical distancing, respiratory etiquette, meticulous hand hygiene and avoiding touching the face, nose, eyes and mouth.” Like temperature checks, masks could also give passengers a false sense of security.
Airlines have had a mixed reaction to the strategy, with some fearing the suggestion for social distancing will prompt governments to put in mandatory requirements. But the European Regional Airlines association said the most important thing will be that the guidance is followed uniformly across Europe. “I am hopeful that EASA’s new guidelines will provide this much needed co-ordination amongst the industry and allow us to return to operation in a safe and aligned manner,” said ERA director-general Montserrat Barriga.
By contrast, airports enthusiastically welcomed the guidelines. “It has the four vital ingredients needed to contain and limit COVID-19 transmission risks during air travel. It is risk-based, effective, proportionate and practical. With this Protocol, passengers can return to air travel with confidence,” said Olivier Jankovec, director-general of airports association ACI-Europe.
“The ball is now back at national level. We urge European states to fully adhere to what EASA and the ECDC are recommending. This is the European standard they need to follow, and they should not depart from it – so we can ensure truly uniform and coherent measures across our continent. Doing otherwise would only risk working against passenger confidence and further delay the restoration of air connectivity, and with it the recovery of travel and tourism across our continent.”
