EU regulators offered member governments guidelines on speedy testing for the coronavirus in the latest effort to prevent national health measures from hindering the free movement of people across the bloc. The EC recommendation covers the use of rapid antigen tests for detecting Covid-19 in “specific settings.” The commission also urged EU governments to recognize each other’s test results and approved E35.5m for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to expand testing in the bloc. “Testing tells us what the extent of the spread is, where it is and how it develops,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said Wednesday in Brussels. “It is a decisive tool to slow down the spread of Covid-19.” The coronavirus pandemic has exposed fundamental shortcomings in the way the EU can tackle international health emergencies, prompting pleas by airlines and airports for more coordinated action. National governments in the bloc have the prime responsibility for health policies that, in a crisis, can undermine the prized European single market. National border closures and curbs on the export of medical gear within the EU during the spring galvanized the commission, the 27-nation EU’s regulatory arm, into actions meant to create a more coherent response. The results included special highway lanes to ensure trucks could cross national borders; curbs on the sale outside the EU of personal protective equipment; the joint procurement of any successful Covid-19 vaccines; and a common approach to imposing restrictions on visitors from abroad. Story lists some of the commission’s recommendations.<br/>
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The CEs of the seven largest US airlines made a fresh plea for more payroll relief before the end of the year and pointed to the challenges of distributing a COVID-19 vaccine in a letter to Congressional leaders on Wednesday. The letter was sent by the main industry lobby Airlines for America and signed by the heads of the top seven US airlines. "As the nation looks forward and takes on the logistical challenges of distributing a vaccine, it will be important to ensure there are sufficient certified employees and planes in service necessary for adequate capacity to complete the task," they said. US airlines received $25 billion in federal aid to keep employees on payroll between March and September and have asked for a second round of support after cutting tens of thousands of jobs either through furloughs or early retirements in recent months. They have argued that they need trained employees to help service an economic rebound, with the prospects of a vaccine in the coming months underscoring the urgency. The number of travelers that passed through TSA checkpoints on Tuesday was down two-thirds from the same day in 2019, an improvement from the start of the pandemic but not enough to bring airlines out of their cash hole, particularly with further lockdowns looming as COVID-19 cases rise.<br/>
The US FAA issued an order on Wednesday to allow Boeing’s 737 Max to return to the skies, clearing the way for other regulators to follow and airlines to restore the plane to their schedules. The move by US regulators, which had been expected, marks the beginning of the end of the worst crisis in Boeing’s century-long history. Two 737 Max crashes killed 346 people, and afterwards destroyed billions in Boeing’s market value, led to the departure of former chief executive Dennis Muilenburg and tarnished the reputation of one of the most storied US manufacturers. Still, the aerospace company can no longer hope to rake in cash from speedy deliveries to eager customers. The FAA is requiring that Boeing change flight control software, known as the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, which was a critical factor in the two fatal crashes which happened within five months. The software will be unable to activate repeatedly and can only do so with input from two sensors, instead of just one. The agency is also requiring changes to the plane’s wiring. The FAA is additionally requiring that pilots train to fly the Max in flight simulators — something Boeing avoided before the two crashes, before reversing its opposition in January — and the regulator also plans to inspect the jets for foreign objects such as rags or tools after some were found among grounded planes. “The path that led us to this point was long and gruelling,” said Steve Dickson, FAA administrator. “We were never driven by a timeline but rather followed a methodical and deliberate safety process . . . I can tell you now that I am 100% comfortable with my family flying on [the aircraft].”<br/>
The head of the FAA Wednesday said he is “100% confident” in the Boeing 737 Max following a nearly two-year grounding of the planes after two fatal crashes. “It’s the most scrutinized transport airplane in history and it’s ready to go,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said less than an hour after signing an order to clear the planes to fly again. Design and training changes implemented after the crashes make it “impossible for the airplanes to have the same kind of accidents that unfortunately killed 346 people” as Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019, Dickson said. Dickson, a former airline pilot, flew the updated 737 Max himself in September. “Those conditions can no longer happen.” The crashes of the nearly new 737 Max jets, both shortly after they took off, prompted a worldwide grounding of what had been Boeing’s bestselling aircraft. Pilots in both Max flights that crashed battled the planes’ automated flight-control system, which has been at the center of several investigations into the crashes. Pilots weren’t informed about the system and mentions of it had been removed from training manuals when they were delivered to airlines. Dickson said he plans to speak with the family members of the crash victims on Wednesday.<br/>
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft will not be returning to Canadian skies just yet, despite being cleared for takeoff by US regulators. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Wednesday that Canada will impose different requirements than the US before it lifts the grounding orders for the plane, including additional procedures on the flight deck and pre-flight and differences in training for flight operators. “Our government remains committed to keeping Canadians, the travelling public, and the transportation system safe and secure,” Garneau said, adding that he expects the validation process to conclude “very soon.” Garneau's remarks followed a US announcement that the Boeing 737 Max, which was involved in two mass casualty crashes in recent years, will be permitted to fly again once Boeing makes changes to the software and computer systems on each plane and provides training to pilots in flight simulators. Government agencies around the world, including Transport Canada, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the FAA have been conducting independent processes for deciding whether to recertify the plane to fly.<br/>
The aviation and travel industries are facing a harsh winter with demand for holidays still blighted by the coronavirus pandemic, though the green shoots of recovery – particularly in Asia – are offering the sector some hope, according to the head of AirAsia.com. “It’s going to be a deep, harsh winter, there’s going to be convergence. For aviation and travel to survive there is a need to collaborate, instead of compete,” said Karen Chan, CEO of the Malaysia-based low-cost carrier’ app for booking flights on Wednesday. Globally, 43 commercial airlines had gone under this year as of October, according to travel data firm Cirium, making it likely that the number will exceed the 46 that either ceased or suspended operations in 2019. But with several Asian countries cautiously restarting limited travel, Chan said the region is poised to lead the recovery. This is a positive development for the airline, given that besides Malaysia its markets include India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Hong Kong and Singapore have established the world’s first travel bubble, allowing residents of the cities to travel without the mandatory two-week quarantine, subject to health protocols. Thailand has also recently allowed a handful of tourists from China to be its first visitors in seven months. Borders, Chan said, are forecast to be re-opened either in Q2 or H2 of 2021. She said AirAsia has partnered with online travel site Trip.com and is collaborating with hotel operator Marriott International to ensure that travellers regain the confidence to take holidays again. <br/>
This Sunday, the post-Covid travel era will begin at airports in Hong Kong and Singapore. Two hundred passengers, pre-screened for the virus, will board flights in each city bound for the other. Upon arrival, they'll be tested again. If they're negative, they can then roam free - without having to undergo the two-week quarantines required of other travellers. It's the world's first-known Covid travel bubble, and the devastated global tourism industry has pinned its hopes on a successful roll-out. Unfortunately, even if the experiment works, it won't herald the return of anything like the freewheeling air culture of pre-pandemic life. Instead, it will probably signal a newly expensive and rarefied era of travel - one that's very unlikely to support an industry that depends on cheap flights. It is no accident that this experiment is happening in the Asia-Pacific. For two decades, air travel has expanded more rapidly here than anywhere else. In 2010, 15.9m people visited Thailand; in 2019, 39.8m visited, more than two-thirds of them from Asia. Few of those travellers arrived in a first-class cabin. Instead, their Thai beach holidays were mostly enabled by the explosive growth of low-cost airlines. From the earliest days of the pandemic, "travel bubbles" were proposed as one solution to this devastation. But setting them up turned out to be far more difficult than expected. Story has more.<br/>