In what must be a unique coalition, the three global airline groups, oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, have collectively supported the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) second-phase Council on Aviation Recovery Task Force report released on 10 November.

The three alliances represent 58 member airlines, over 60% of total world airline capacity and carried in access of 1.87bn passengers annually prior to the Covid-19 crisis.

On this one the three CEOs are in total agreement.

Kristin Colvile, CEO of SkyTeam, summed it up speaking also on behalf of oneworld CEO Rob Gurney and Star Alliance CEO Jeffrey Goh: “Aviation supports millions of jobs around the world and drives international commerce, trade and tourism. Urgent action is needed to adopt testing and technology to mitigate Covid risks and safely and quickly revive international air travel.”

The three alliances called for a harmonised approach to testing that will form the foundation of a trust framework, as recommended by the ICAO guidelines.

Together, they urge governments to implement the report guidelines for passenger testing protocols, as well as the adoption of digital health pass technology, so air travel may safely resume.

www.icao.int/newsroom/pages/icao-council-endorses-new-updates-to-covid19-global-aviation-recovery-guidelines.aspx