The Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is encouraging a pair of agencies to establish a working group to develop plans addressing COVID-19 in aviation operations.
Committee members forwarded correspondence to the Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf regarding the initiative. The lawmakers maintain that health, safety, and security standards are necessary to restore public confidence in travel.
“We are all cognizant of the overwhelming effect this pandemic has had on the aviation industry,” the committee members wrote. “Although passenger volume has dramatically decreased, frontline employees are still going to work, and aircraft are still flying. Right now, some airports and airlines are requiring passengers to wear masks or face coverings, and some employers are requiring employee temperature checks. However, frontline workers and airline passengers, subject to varying requirements, continue to commingle in public areas, secure areas, and finally on aircraft. Inconsistency creates uncertainty and limits the effectiveness of the actions taken.”
The working group’s focus should include safe and secure air travel, including planning for a possible second wave of COVID-19 and future pandemics; personal protective equipment for aviation workers; face mask requirements and social distancing; protocols for queuing and security screening; and aircraft boarding and deplaning.