The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released an airline self-assessment health checklist to support the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Take-off: Guidance for Air Travel through the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis.
The Take-off guidance is the global standard framework of risk-based temporary measures for governments and the air transport value chain for safe operations during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Safety is always the number one priority for air transport. And the challenges of COVID-19 have added a new dimension to our efforts.
Developed with input from industry, public health authorities and governments, ICAO’s Take-off guidance is the global standard for safe operations. IATA’s self-assessment checklist is a practical implementation guide to help airlines comply,” IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac said.
“A harmonized approach to health is key not only to the recovery of civil aviation but also to ‘building back better,’ which is crucially important to ensuring the future resilience of the aviation network.
“IATA’s health checklist for airlines will be of importance in terms of providing momentum for the implementation of the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) recommendations, of which harmonization and resilience are the guiding principles,’’ Salvatore Sciacchitano, ICAO’s Council President, said.
The IATA Health Safety Checklist for Airline Operators provides the standards and recommended practices (IHSARPs), associated guidance material and other supporting information necessary for an operator to self-assess.
Sections covered include pre-arrival notification; check in; embarkation and disembarkation; aircraft cleaning; on-board air quality; in-flight operations; flight and cabin crew –general; crew layover and airport facilities.
The checklist is available here and can be used free of charge by interested airlines.
For Nigeria, passengers arriving or returning to Nigeria must have tested negative for COVID-19(pre-boarding PCR test in country of departure).
The PCR test must be within two weeks before departure and preferably no less than five days to boarding.
Tests done more than two weeks before departure are not valid and persons will not be allowed to board; but for the five days minimum, this is advisory and will not preclude boarding.
Onboard, passengers are required to fill in the Health Declaration/Self-Reporting Form and the Sample Collection Time Allocation Form.
Passengers will ensure that the information/contact details provided on the form are correct and are verifiable and they can be reached on the phone number and at the address provided.
Upon arrival in Nigeria, passengers shall queue in an orderly manner and disembarkation will be done systematically and in batches to avoid overcrowding.
Passengers will proceed for health screening at the Point of Entry.
The Health Declaration Form will be assessed and collected along with the Sample Collection Form.
Passengers are requested to keep their face masks on, perform hand hygiene, ensure respiratory/cough etiquette; cough into tissue, sleeve/bent elbow and discard used tissue safely into a bin and always observe and maintain physical distancing measures.
Persons who have arrived in Nigeria are advised to self-isolate for 14days and to remain in the City/State where the Point of Entry is located (i.e.Lagos or Abuja) throughout the duration of self-quarantine.
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