18/05/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed to EUROPE that the guidelines on air passenger safety, which have been developed by EASA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), “will be published this week”. They will supplement the Commission's recent recommendations (see EUROPE 12486/6). The guidelines should address the issue of physical distancing on board aircraft. On Wednesday 13 May, Adina Vălean, the Commissioner for Transport, took the same position as the airline companies, stating that “we are not currently recommending having empty seats in airplanes”, as aircraft are equipped with air filtration systems (see EUROPE 12476/3). However, EASA and ECDC have been tasked with assessing what additional measures may be needed “to mitigate the risks”, said Vălean. (AC)