The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the increasing momentum towards re-opening of borders and relaxation of travel restrictions, as Covid-19 moves into the endemic phase. An IATA survey of travel restrictions for the world’s top 50 air travel markets (comprising 88 per cent of international demand in 2019 as measured by revenue passenger kilometres) revealed the growing access available to vaccinated travelers. The survey found:
• 25 markets representing 38 per cent of 2019 international demand are open to vaccinated travelers without quarantine measures or testing requirements, up from 18 markets (28 per cent of 2019 international demand) in mid-February.
• 38 markets representing 65 per cent of 2019 international demand are open to vaccinated travelers with no quarantine requirements, up from 28 markets (50 per cent of 2019 international demand) in mid-February.
Repeated surveys of passengers by IATA during the pandemic has shown that testing and especially quarantine are major barriers to travel.
Travel in Asia remains heavily compromised by Covid restrictions. While North American and European international traffic rebounded to -42 per cent of their 2019 peaks last year, traffic in Asia Pacific remained at -88%. Even in this region, however, there has been some progress, with India and Malaysia among the countries recently announcing relaxation of restrictions.
The easing of measures reflects the growing consensus that travel restrictions such as border closures and quarantine do little to control the spread of Covid-19. A recent report by Oxera and Edge Health, looking at the spread of the Omicron variant in Europe, concluded that travel restrictions may only delay the peak of a wave by a few days.
“The world is largely open for travel. As population immunity grows, more governments are managing Covid-19 through surveillance, as they do for other endemic viruses. That is great news for a growing number of destinations that will receive a much-needed economic boost from the upcoming Easter and Northern Summer travel seasons. Asia is the outlier. Hopefully recent relaxations including Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the Philippines are paving the way towards restoring the freedom to travel that is more broadly enjoyed in other parts of the world,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
