Aviation: Coronavirus

(asked on 17th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the adequacy of covid-19 restrictions at airports designed to avoid the mixing of travellers from outbound and inbound air traffic from multiple destinations and (b) whether he plans to publish additional guidance to strengthen those restrictions as international air travel rules become segmented for different destinations.


Answered by
Robert Courts Portrait
Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This question was answered on 20th May 2021

The government has introduced a range of health measures such as the wearing of face coverings and social distancing to help reduce the risk of transmission at airports, as well as issuing clear guidance for both passengers and operators. Where social distancing is not possible, airlines are advised to carry out a risk assessment and implement appropriate risk controls. For example, wearing a face covering can play a role in helping us to protect other passengers, which is why it is mandatory to wear one at airports.

Additionally, operators are encouraged to introduce clear signage and one-way passenger flows where appropriate. Arrangements may vary depending on the airport and guidance is available to support operators to manage flows in a COVID-secure way. We continue to improve processes which maintain the checks we need to carry out to keep the public safe, while minimising disruption, and passengers can support this process by ensuring they have completed the necessary requirements to enter the UK. The government continues to engage with the aviation sector to ensure they are supported in implementing best practices.

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