BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 23
By Sadraddin Aghjayev - Trend:
The distribution of vaccines against COVID-19 worldwide is uneven and border opening must not depend solely on vaccination against COVID-19, Trend reports referring to New Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Willie Walsh.
“The countries must mitigate the border crossing rules and allow people to travel in the short and medium term prospects,” Walsh added.
"The mechanisms and technology of PCR testing have greatly improved and their cost has dropped today," director general said.
Walsh thinks that the government must pay for PCR testing while those countries where it is too expensive (for example, in Japan - $278) must look for the most effective and economical methods that will allow people to travel.
Moreover, Walsh stressed that those countries that have achieved success in vaccination against COVID-19 must mitigate the rules for travel, entry and exit of citizens.
“We are now working to involve all governments and airlines in the world in the IATA Travel Pass project, which will free airport workers from paperwork and prevent queues,” director general said. “Today, each passenger and his/her PCR tests are manually checked by airport employees. Our application will save them from this painstaking work and make travel even more enjoyable."
The Azerbaijani national air carrier (AZAL), together with the government of the country, are considering the possibility of testing the IATA Travel Pass, a universal platform developed by IATA.
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