Welcome to the COVID-19 Aviation Related News & Discussion Thread for Q2 2021.

Link to the Q1 last thread
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1455909

Please keep your posts aviation focused.

Per government decree, LATAM will cancel all Chile international services effective April 5 except a limited number of repatriation flights.

https://aerolatinnews.com/destacado/chi ... xtranjero/

CDC says vaccinated people can now travel with "low risk"
http://www.azfamily.com/news/us_world_n ... 0166f.html

travaz wrote:

CDC says vaccinated people can now travel with "low risk"
http://www.azfamily.com/news/us_world_n ... 0166f.html

Given that President Biden follows the CDC advice, will he lift the travel bans from Europe/Brazil/China/South Africa for fully vaccinated foreign nationals?

rjbesikof wrote:

travaz wrote:

CDC says vaccinated people can now travel with "low risk"
http://www.azfamily.com/news/us_world_n ... 0166f.html

Given that President Biden follows the CDC advice, will he lift the travel bans from Europe/Brazil/China/South Africa for fully vaccinated foreign nationals?

The article says
"For international travel, fully vaccinated people don't need a Covid-19 test prior to travel -- unless it is required by the destination -- and do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States. They should still have a negative Covid-19 test before boarding a flight to the US, and a follow up test three to five days after their return, the CDC noted."

The statement is somewhat confusing but this is what CDC said.

Lets look at the wording from CDC head Walensky.

"While we believe that fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves, CDC is not recommending travel at this time due to the rising number of cases."

So, no they are still not recommending people run out and travel.

So which is it? More totally confusing statements from CDC. I Booked 3 flights today. I am running out and traveling.

So a Covid PCR test is no longer required for travel to or within Hawaii for fully vaccinated travelers.

jbpdx wrote:

So a Covid PCR test is no longer required for travel to or within Hawaii for fully vaccinated travelers.

Each locality is free to establish its own requirements.

UPlog wrote:

jbpdx wrote:

So a Covid PCR test is no longer required for travel to or within Hawaii for fully vaccinated travelers.

Each locality is free to establish its own requirements.

So that would mean nothing has changed.

Hong Kong has barred for two weeks passenger flights by Singapore Airlines, after importing 3 cases of COVID.

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSL1N2LW010

Following the closing of Bolivia's borders with Brazil, Boliviana de Aviacion (BoA) has suspended regular flights to Brazil.

https://www.aviacionline.com/2021/04/bo ... -a-brasil/

Meanwhile I wonder why did AA and DL reinstated their services to GRU recently...

ojjunior wrote:

Meanwhile I wonder why did AA and DL reinstated their services to GRU recently...

Brazil - US, even with the current restrictions, is a key market for US airlines; they are not willing to give away market share to the competition.

AA flight fromSydney to Los Angeles canceled after crew member tests positive for COVID-19.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/a ... 152498002/

Bangladesh suspends international flights effective April 14.

http://www.orientaviation.com/articles/ ... seven-days

Emirates received two-week ban at HKG from April 13-26 for importing COVID passengers

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EyyURqfVoAA ... name=large

Increased forged Covid-19 certificates hit airlines, which have to police them, and put airlines at risk if they transport infected passengers with false or incorrect documentation.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fake-covid ... 1618330621

Aerolineas Argentinas has extended the suspension of the Buenos Aires EZE - Rome FCO and New York JFK routes until October at least.

https://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2021/04/ ... -new-york/

Israel looks to reopen its borders to international travelers on 23 May.

Details are pending but look initially to only be for group travelers and those who are vaccinated along with pre and post flight PCR testing.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom ... bf4c8b344c

US CDC study out today says that keeping the middle seat vacant can actually make a difference to in-flight transmission.

According to the CDC, a laboratory-based model "predicts a 23% to 57% reduction in exposure to viable virus particles when middle seats on an airline are kept vacant."

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7016e1.htm

SIA Group is no longer accepting transfer passengers on SIN-HKG.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/si ... g-14628554

Both SIA and Scoot were banned for 2 weeks from flying passengers to Hong Kong. On the SIA flight was one person who had a negative pre-departure test but a positive on-arrival test and two persons who had not booked their quarantine hotel properly. On the Scoot flight were two persons who had a negative pre-departure tests but a positive on-arrival tests and one person who had not booked the quarantine hotel properly. All 6 passengers came from Indonesia.

There is a good chance that the 3 on-arrival tests are false positives. The majority of Indonesians who arrive in Changi and test positive on arrival are both PCR positive as well as serologically positive with the PCR very weak positive. That means that they had COVID in the past and are still shedding virus particles (which can still occur months later), but are not sick neither infectious. This is going to be a big problem if people are heavily going to rely of pre-departure and on-arrival testing for travel.

It seems that due to the messiness of Hongkong regulations, SIA no longer wants to take the risk, especially with the HK-SIN travel bubble possibly opening mid-May.

I think this stops Indonesian maids travelling to HK for employment. I don't see any feasible alternative route for them.

GOL further delays the resumption of services to its largest international market, Argentina. Planned for June, it's been moved to October.

https://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2021/04/ ... o-octubre/

While this announcement is specific to Argentina (AEP, BRC, COR, EZE, MDZ & ROS) I'm certain the same applies to other international destinations on GOL's network.

LAXintl wrote:

US CDC study out today says that keeping the middle seat vacant can actually make a difference to in-flight transmission.

According to the CDC, a laboratory-based model "predicts a 23% to 57% reduction in exposure to viable virus particles when middle seats on an airline are kept vacant."

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7016e1.htm

Actually the study specifically says it didn't look at transmission, but just the number of viable virus particles. It also had a bunch of other factors that weren't true to an actual airline flight. Just another "study" from the CDC that's essentially meaningless.

KL is put in the doghouse once again for flying to HKG...

KLM is not allowed to fly passengers to Hong Kong until May 1 after a violation of the local corona rules. The authorities have banned the airline from operating passenger flights to Hong Kong for two weeks
...
One of the reasons for the current ban is that one of the passengers who flew with KLM to Hong Kong on Friday was tested positive for the corona virus upon arrival. According to the KLM spokesman, this passenger had valid documents with him on departure, including a negative test statement. "In very exceptional cases, it can happen that the virus builds up along the way."

Source: translated from Dutch news outlet NU.nl

FlyingHonu001 wrote:

KL is put in the doghouse once again for flying to HKG...

KLM is not allowed to fly passengers to Hong Kong until May 1 after a violation of the local corona rules. The authorities have banned the airline from operating passenger flights to Hong Kong for two weeks
...
One of the reasons for the current ban is that one of the passengers who flew with KLM to Hong Kong on Friday was tested positive for the corona virus upon arrival. According to the KLM spokesman, this passenger had valid documents with him on departure, including a negative test statement. "In very exceptional cases, it can happen that the virus builds up along the way."

Source: translated from Dutch news outlet NU.nl

I get they want to keep the virus out but the reality is is its still going to find its way in no matter what they do so what's the point in punishing an airline severely if they followed all the rules and the person gets covid. Where's the logic in that? There is none

Hong Kong bars all service to India, Pakistan, Philippines for 2-week period.

A record 47 people arrived COVID positive from India on a single day even with pre-flight testing!

https://twitter.com/JournoDannyAero/sta ... 6109936640
https://onemileatatime.com/flight-coronavirus-record/

Well that Hong Kong to Singapore travel bubble concept delayed again as more COVID cases are reported

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-e ... nt-delayed

And US-Canada border closure extended for another month till May 21st
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/loc ... y-21-2021/

Canada also banning travellers from Pakistan and India for a 30-day period as an increasing number of travellers are testing positive in recent days.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/flight ... -1.5997880

The return of intl travel just looks uglier and uglier by the day. I really have to wonder when (if) it will return in the form it was.

At current rates (obviously, somewhat skewed and will improve over time), it would take over 1,200 days to get 75% of the globe fully vaccinated, and only 2% are. Slightly over 6% are partially vaccinated.

Vaccine passports are a temporary solution but as we get into booster shots and the disease inevitably sticks around in the long run - I am genuinely curious to see what intl. looks like 2-3 years down the road

Either we more or less give up on trying to fully “contain” the virus, or the future of travel, international and national, is extremely dim.

Canada is in the midst of clamping down ever more severely. Inter-provincial travel is now being restricted in many parts of the country, and even restrictions between different regions of the same province. The 3-day mandatory hotel quarantine, for returning international travellers, is definitely not going to be lifted any time soon. It basically amounts to a $1000-2000 surcharge for the privilege of returning to your own country. A return to international travel for Canadians is looking ever more distant by the day.

And really, the cat is so very far out of the bag, I wonder if all of it is just the government trying to look like they’re doing something, versus actually doing something that’s going to make a difference. It feels like they’re brandishing knives while we’re being bombarded by ballistic missiles.

aerolimani wrote:

Either we more or less give up on trying to fully “contain” the virus, or the future of travel, international and national, is extremely dim.

Canada is in the midst of clamping down ever more severely. Inter-provincial travel is now being restricted in many parts of the country, and even restrictions between different regions of the same province. The 3-day mandatory hotel quarantine, for returning international travellers, is definitely not going to be lifted any time soon. It basically amounts to a $1000-2000 surcharge for the privilege of returning to your own country. A return to international travel for Canadians is looking ever more distant by the day.

And really, the cat is so very far out of the bag, I wonder if all of it is just the government trying to look like they’re doing something, versus actually doing something that’s going to make a difference. It feels like they’re brandishing knives while we’re being bombarded by ballistic missiles.

It's ridiculous. The hotel quarantine is such a pathetic joke. It was created by a kid in 5 min by the looks of it. Completely inept and of course the govt says its working. Except it isn't. They need to quarantine everyone not just traveller's who are circumventing the whole thing or leaving after getting their negative test. Oh and covid is still being caught after the fact, of course.

International travel will be very messy as the globe is far away from saying goodbye to the virus.

Also U.S. today issuing "Do no travel" advisory to 115 countries including Canada, Mexico, and the U.K. will impact already tepid travellers as things like travel insurance are tied to such advisory levels, and will be a big stop sign for corporations to keep their staff here at home.

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronaviru ... m-covid-19

BA postponed its return to GRU & EZE until 1/7/21; BA246/7 is still planned as a daily operation with the A350-1000.

https://www.aviacionline.com/2021/04/br ... san-pablo/

777luver wrote:

aerolimani wrote:

Either we more or less give up on trying to fully “contain” the virus, or the future of travel, international and national, is extremely dim.

Canada is in the midst of clamping down ever more severely. Inter-provincial travel is now being restricted in many parts of the country, and even restrictions between different regions of the same province. The 3-day mandatory hotel quarantine, for returning international travellers, is definitely not going to be lifted any time soon. It basically amounts to a $1000-2000 surcharge for the privilege of returning to your own country. A return to international travel for Canadians is looking ever more distant by the day.

And really, the cat is so very far out of the bag, I wonder if all of it is just the government trying to look like they’re doing something, versus actually doing something that’s going to make a difference. It feels like they’re brandishing knives while we’re being bombarded by ballistic missiles.

It's ridiculous. The hotel quarantine is such a pathetic joke. It was created by a kid in 5 min by the looks of it. Completely inept and of course the govt says its working. Except it isn't. They need to quarantine everyone not just traveller's who are circumventing the whole thing or leaving after getting their negative test. Oh and covid is still being caught after the fact, of course.

Overall hotel quarantine has worked exceedingly well in Australia and New Zealand.
Sure there has been leakage from these facilities from the hundreds of thousands who have passed through this system. As more and more experience is gained from these leakage failures, leakage rates have continually fallen compared to the proportions of infected people arriving across the borders.
As a result of this both countries have been extraordinarily free of covid restrictions and covid infections compared to the bulk of the rest of the world.
In my own city tonight there will be a pop concert with an expected attendance of 55000 people with no restrictions, only a very strong encouragement to use the covid contact tracing application. The last deaths from locally acquired covid cases in our combined 30 million population is about six months ago. How well are you doing in your part of the world?
Hotel quarantine of arrivals across the border has been probably been the single most effective tool deployed.

Toenga wrote:

777luver wrote:

aerolimani wrote:

Either we more or less give up on trying to fully “contain” the virus, or the future of travel, international and national, is extremely dim.

Canada is in the midst of clamping down ever more severely. Inter-provincial travel is now being restricted in many parts of the country, and even restrictions between different regions of the same province. The 3-day mandatory hotel quarantine, for returning international travellers, is definitely not going to be lifted any time soon. It basically amounts to a $1000-2000 surcharge for the privilege of returning to your own country. A return to international travel for Canadians is looking ever more distant by the day.

And really, the cat is so very far out of the bag, I wonder if all of it is just the government trying to look like they’re doing something, versus actually doing something that’s going to make a difference. It feels like they’re brandishing knives while we’re being bombarded by ballistic missiles.

It's ridiculous. The hotel quarantine is such a pathetic joke. It was created by a kid in 5 min by the looks of it. Completely inept and of course the govt says its working. Except it isn't. They need to quarantine everyone not just traveller's who are circumventing the whole thing or leaving after getting their negative test. Oh and covid is still being caught after the fact, of course.

Overall hotel quarantine has worked exceedingly well in Australia and New Zealand.
Sure there has been leakage from these facilities from the hundreds of thousands who have passed through this system. As more and more experience is gained from these leakage failures, leakage rates have continually fallen compared to the proportions of infected people arriving across the borders.
As a result of this both countries have been extraordinarily free of covid restrictions and covid infections compared to the bulk of the rest of the world.
In my own city tonight there will be a pop concert with an expected attendance of 55000 people with no restrictions, only a very strong encouragement to use the covid contact tracing application. The last deaths from locally acquired covid cases in our combined 30 million population is about six months ago. How well are you doing in your part of the world?
Hotel quarantine of arrivals across the border has been probably been the single most effective tool deployed.

Prior to the quarantine, international travellers were responsible for 0.5% of Canadian cases. Since the hotel quarantine came into effect … 0.4%. I wouldn’t call that making a meaningful difference.

Also, if you are living in Australia or New Zealand, you are free from the influence of 10,000+ essential workers (mostly truckers) crossing your border every day, with zero restrictions on their movements, and no testing.

Sofitel hotel at Heathrow T5 will become a quarantine hotel

https://milesfromblighty.boardingarea.c ... ine-hotel/

EU says it will open to tourism this summer to vaccinated persons. Details including timing and if things like digital passports will be required are still to be worked out.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/worl ... urope.html

When EU spoke about this first back in March, they stressed the need for secure digital certification. Don't see the U.S.CDC paper certification being accepted you can hardly prove them being authentic.

mercure1 wrote:

EU says it will open to tourism this summer to vaccinated persons. Details including timing and if things like digital passports will be required are still to be worked out.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/worl ... urope.html

HK banned CX recently because of accepting faulty/fraudulent pax test certificates from Philippines. I don't know why airlines are held responsible for that.

https://www.aviationupdatesph.com/2021/ ... government.

Once a Covid infected person arrives in country A, it becomes Country A's problem to handle that person - eg ensure quarantine accommodation and healthcare is provided.
If a person in country B wants to travel to country A but has yet to board the aircraft then it's up to country B or the airline to deal with any validation of testing/vaccine requirements as well as quarantine and healthcare issues. Country A cannot put its Govt-employees to work in country B..... but employees of an airline can work in country B

By making an airline be responsible for preventing import of Covid-infected people, country A can push the problem onto somebody else, and forces airlines to assign staff to ensure very strict compliance with vaccine/testing requirements before the passenger arrives in country A

LAXintl wrote:

When EU spoke about this first back in March, they stressed the need for secure digital certification. Don't see the U.S.CDC paper certification being accepted you can hardly prove them being authentic.

The State of Nevada WebIZ system can be used to see all my immunizations going back at least 10 years. It shows one I got in 1995. All I have to do is authorize the airline or appropriate foreign government to access that record. Seems fairly foolproof to me. I’d be happy to help the nice immigration officer at my destination take a look. If you don’t want them to know, just stay home. I’d rather travel.

LAXintl wrote:

When EU spoke about this first back in March, they stressed the need for secure digital certification. Don't see the U.S.CDC paper certification being accepted you can hardly prove them being authentic.

IIRC the EU were developing their own unique digital passport. What's the betting they'll insist on visitors using that one rather than the one being developed by IATA?

Below document link to EU proposed digital certification standards.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html ... format=PDF

It does allow for paper-based format, but paper certification must contain QR code containing the personal data to ensure authenticity and validity of the paper document.

dtw2hyd wrote:

Air India additional frequencies to USA

DEL-JFK/SFO/EWR
https://twitter.com/airindiain/status/1 ... 1810931720

BOM-EWR
https://twitter.com/airindiain/status/1 ... 2126328846

Hope that the US Government puts a halt on flights from India here very soon like other smart countries have done.

Air France service to China suspended until May 10 due import of 6 COVID cases on Shanghai flight.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china-sus ... 021-04-30/

Some experts are saying the goal of herd immunity is out of reach, the hope is for it to become a manageable threat.

Thread in non-av: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1460469

Revelation wrote:

Some experts are saying the goal of herd immunity is out of reach, the hope is for it to become a manageable threat.

Thread in non-av: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1460469

Well yeah.

Herd immunity was never going to be a thing. We just have to go on and deal with it.

LAXdude1023 wrote:

Revelation wrote:

Some experts are saying the goal of herd immunity is out of reach, the hope is for it to become a manageable threat.

Thread in non-av: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1460469

Well yeah.

Herd immunity was never going to be a thing. We just have to go on and deal with it.

IMO it represents a mental re-calibration for many of us, and for the aviation industry too.

Let's discuss in the non-av thread.

American Airlines, fined in Argentina for carrying a passenger sick with COVID-19 and with phony test papers. The guy was caught by fever detecting cameras upon arrival at EZE this past Saturday on AA931 from MIA, carrying 259 paxs + 13 crew.

https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/co ... d03052021/