‘A matter of urgency’: airlines, tour firms react to EU health certificates proposal

EU’s executive arm has proposed launching digital certificates showing the holders pose no health risk from coronavirus, and to coordinate lifting of lockdowns

The certificates would prove travellers have been vaccinated, recovered from the virus or recently tested negative, and could be in place by mid-June

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A KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-175 flight approaches Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The EU’s plan to ease coronavirus-induced restrictions on travel has given Europe’s battered airlines hope. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 11:15am, 18 Mar 2021Updated: 10:13am, 19 Mar 2021

Europe’s battered airlines and hospitality industry have been promised a gradual return to a semblance of normality, with a plan to ease coronavirus-induced restrictions on travel.

The European Union’s executive arm proposed the introduction of digital certificates that will offer proof their holders have been vaccinated against coronavirus, recovered from the illness or recently tested negative, and thus pose no significant health risks. The passes are meant to facilitate leisure trips both within the EU and from outside the bloc, according to a statement on Wednesday.

The European Commission also unveiled a plan for a coordinated lifting of lockdowns. The road map, which is explicitly meant to help restore tourism, will be based on a tier system “reflecting the epidemiological situation in each member state”.

The effort is aimed at creating a unified policy as some tourism-dependent member states threaten to unilaterally reopen to outsiders. Even with wide agreement, it will take months to implement the technology. The goal is to have the vaccine pass system in place by the middle of June, according to a draft copy of the proposal.

Vaccine passes will facilitate leisure trips both within the EU and from outside the bloc. Photo: Getty Images

Aviation groups welcomed the proposal while stressing the urgency of making the system operational in time for the usually lucrative summer season. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other industry groups said in a joint statement that vaccine certificates in particular eliminated the need for travel restrictions.