The International Air Transport Association, representing 300 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic, criticised decisions by governments to impose Covid tests and other measures on travellers from China as ineffective "knee-jerk" reactions.
A growing number of countries have insisted that all travellers from China provide negative Covid tests before arrival.
“Several countries are introducing COVID-19 testing and other measures for travellers from China, even though the virus is already circulating widely within their borders. It is extremely disappointing to see this knee-jerk reinstatement of measures that have proven ineffective over the last three years.", Willie Walsh, IATA Director General said in a statement.
"Research undertaken around the arrival of the Omicron variant concluded that putting barriers in the way of travel made no difference to the peak spread of infections. At most, restrictions delayed that peak by a few days. If a new variant emerges in any part of the world, the same situation would be expected," Walsh said.
"That’s why governments should listen to the advice of experts, including the WHO, that advise against travel restrictions. We have the tools to manage COVID-19 without resorting to ineffective measures that cut off international connectivity, damage economies and destroy jobs. Governments must base their decisions on ‘science facts’ rather than ‘science politics’,” he said.