The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 185 countries and territories around the world (till write of these article date)
and one of the most dangerous ways to spread COVID-19 around the world is traveling from place to place and of course the flight industry one of the most popular travel way across the countries.
Coronavirus symptoms
As CDC -Center of Disease Control and Prevention- “Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.*
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath”
COLOGNE, March 13, 2020 - The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a safety directive to reduce the risk of spread of the novel coronavirus through flights to and from high-risk areas. This is the first EU-wide operational measure to control the spread of COVID-19 in Europe
- Safety Directive 2020-01 effective date 23 March 2020 – which applicable on national Aviation Authorities (NAAs) responsible for the certification and oversight of aircraft
operators involved in commercial air transport of passengers in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) 965/2012 - Safety Directive 2020-02 effective date 23 March 2020- which applicable on Third Country Operators (TCOs) authorized by EASA pursuant to Commission Regulation (EU) No 452/2014 to perform commercial air transport of passengers into, within or out of the territory subject to the provisions of the Treaty on European Union.
- Annex 1 - attached to previous SD’s which contain a list of airports located in affected areas with a high risk of transmission of the CoViD-19 infection (This Annex is developed in coordination with EASA Member States and based on the information from WHO, ECDC, and other reputable public health institutes.)
Previous safety directive specifies measures to be taken for flights serving high-risk destinations. It mandates thorough disinfecting and cleaning of aircraft which operate from high-risk destinations after each flight. Exceptions can be made only when disinfectants with a longer-lasting effect are used – but even in those cases, thorough disinfection is mandated no later than 24 hours after departure from a high-risk airport.
Safety Objective(s) to be achieved:
To minimize the risks to passengers and to the general public, due to operations from airports
located in affected areas with high risk of transmission of the CoViD-19 infection by aircraft
operators certified in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) 965/2012.
Recommended Corrective Action(s) to be taken:
(1) NAAs to ensure, by taking the appropriate national measures, that aircraft operators under
their oversight and involved in commercial air transport of passengers in accordance with
Commission Regulation (EU) 965/2012 from an airport located in an affected area with high risk
of transmission of the CoViD-19 infection:
(1.1) Clean and fully disinfect the aircraft using substances suitable for aviation use after each
flight coming from an airport located in an affected area with high risk of transmission of
the CoViD-19 infection (see Note 1 of this SD).
Note 1: Such as substances containing 62%-71% ethanol alcohol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide, or
0.1% sodium hypochlorite. Suitability of the substances should be checked against the aircraft
manufacturers’ documentation.
The operator may implement different disinfection frequency based on a risk assessment
which takes into account the operational circumstances and the duration of the
disinfecting effects of the substance used. In such a case, the operator shall ensure that
the aircraft is fully cleaned and disinfected not later than 24 hours after the departure
from an airport located in an affected area with high risk of transmission of the CoViD-19
infection.
(1.2) Equip the aircraft with one or more Universal Precaution Kits. Such kits should be used to
protect crew members who are assisting potentially infectious cases of suspected
CoViD-19 and in cleaning up and correctly discarding any potentially infectious contents.
Information on the actions taken:
(2) NAAs shall take measures to achieve the determined safety objective within 7 days from the
the effective date of this Safety Directive and inform EASA of those measures
Update 10 Apr 2020
In response to the CoViD-19 world situation and to limit the spread of the disease and protect EASA staff, EASA decide to cancel all travels and external meetings, as EASA mentioned on the web site : "
EASA update on impact of CoVid-19 on its operations
In response to the CoViD-19 situation, EASA has taken measures to protect the health of its staff and limit the spread of the disease. This includes the cancellation of all travel and external meetings, which means that scheduled site visits and audits, for example, cannot take place as planned. The relevant staff are in contact with their counterparts in our stakeholder organisations to work together to manage this situation and ensure that no additional risks to aviation safety arise in these difficult times."
