There is no longer any warning about trips to most European countries. But that does not mean that everything is immediately back to what it was before the Corona crisis. Far from it.
Berlin (dpa) - For travelers, the choice of flights remains limited even after the travel warnings cease to apply. Compared to June 2019, the airlines are offering 14 to 15 percent of the usual seating capacity during the month, according to industry reports.
"This is a courageous offer from the companies and we hope that bookings will increase accordingly," said the managing director of the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry, Matthias von Randow, the German Press Agency. Demand would only increase gradually. Therefore, the blanket travel warning for non-EU countries must be lifted.
At the end of March, scheduled traffic almost came to a standstill due to the corona pandemic. On Monday, the federal government's travel warnings for all EU countries except Spain and Sweden, as well as for Great Britain, Iceland and Switzerland. They will continue to apply to more than 160 countries. Travel warnings are recommendations, not prohibitions.
The aircraft manufacturers contradicted assumptions that there was a high risk of infection in aircraft. They refer to particulate filters (Hepa filters) in the air conditioning systems. "They filter out 99.97 percent of the aerosols and they are standard on all aircraft," said Volker Thum, chief executive of the Federal Association of the German Aerospace Industry. "Viruses are nothing new and the corona virus is as big as others."
The cabin air is exchanged every two to three minutes according to the manufacturer's instructions. Filtered air is mixed with fresh air. "It is blown in at the top and extracted at the bottom. The vertical air flow is like a protective wall." Nevertheless, the passengers would be responsible, would have to comply with the mask requirement and keep the air vents open. "The most important thing is discipline and problem awareness," said Thum.
The airlines refuse to market individual seats, such as the middle seat of a row of three, for a greater distance between passengers. There should also be no curtains or plexiglass panes. "The interaction of air exchange, Hepa filters and mask requirements are the be-all and end-all," said von Randow. This would make the aircraft the means of transportation with the lowest risk of infection. However, an infection is not entirely excluded.
The European Aviation Security Agency (EASA) recommends keeping the minimum distance of one and a half meters. However, if this is not possible due to the number of passengers, other protection requirements would have to be observed at all times: masks, strict hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing in the crook of the arm - even when wearing a mask.
EASA guidelines May 2020