“The passenger must not only be safe but also feel safe,” he told his EU counterparts during a teleconference.

In his speech, the minister said it is very important to restore air connectivity of the member states as soon as possible and that corrective measures should be taken which will allow the public to feel safe to travel with the airlines again.

At the moment there is no uniformity within the European Union in terms of travel measures taken, as each country has its own criteria and procedures, which complicate the efforts of both travellers and airlines, slowing done the recovery in the aviation sector, Karousos pointed out.

“Cyprus has already developed and implemented an electronic platform for passengers wishing to travel to the island by issuing the so-called Cyprus Flight Pass. The passenger, before traveling to Cyprus, must complete a questionnaire, which is posted on the platform in question, stating some information related to the conduct of his trip.”

However, with a view to the safe movement of passengers to and from member states’ airports, he suggested a pan-European flight card system, the EU Flight Pass, “to facilitate the conduct of travel throughout the European Union.”

He also suggested diagnostic tests for the coronavirus should be performed at departure airports.

“Therefore, investments should be made in new technology equipment to perform a quick coronavirus test at all airports. Boarding of passengers on aircraft will only take place if the test result is found to be negative. These laboratory analyses can be combined with innovation and technology, such as blockchain, for better control and certification of results,” the minister concluded.

Source: Cyprus Mail