The European Commission published guidelines on Friday 27 March to facilitate air freight operations, heavily affected by the travel bans and flight restrictions introduced in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Normally, 50 to 60% of goods transported by air are carried in the holds of passenger flights. Their cancellation results in a loss of capacity that cannot be compensated by all-cargo flights alone.
However, “air cargo must be able to continuously deliver critical products such as food, medical supplies and personal protective equipment”, the Commission says.
The European institution therefore calls on the Member States to implement temporary measures, valid “until the exceptional air traffic and travel restrictions are lifted”.
For example, the Commission expects Member States to grant temporary traffic rights for additional freight transport operations from outside the EU, normally subject to restrictions.
It is also recommended that curfews or slot restrictions at airports should be abolished to allow night flights for operations deemed essential.
According to the institution, asymptomatic transport personnel should also be exempt from travel restrictions and crews, cargo and airport personnel should not be subject to lockdown measures.
Finally, the document states that companies which advocate cooperation in ensuring deliveries will be able to do so, as the European Competition Network has given the green light to do so. In the current circumstances, the latter undertakes not to “intervene against necessary and temporary measures put in place in order to avoid a shortage of supply”. However, it stresses that it will not hesitate to take action against operators taking advantage of the situation.
See Commission communication: https://bit.ly/2QQyMwY (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)