Here’s some good news and information for anyone operating aircraft internationally… We at Shepherd Aero are very happy to see the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) develop and release guidance on safe operation of aircraft during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Shepherd Aero has been operating with an internally-developed COVID-19 testing and risk mitigation protocol since early April, the fact that ICAO has identified these very techniques as ways to safely operate in this current environment while reducing risk of exposure to the public further bolsters our firm’s program, and we hope to see more and more countries adopt the guidance provided by ICAO as a way to keep critical worldwide air transport operations moving forward. As the electronic bulletin states, the pandemic has “severely disrupted the global aviation network”, and that “it is critical to take into consideration appropriate risk assessments” to allow continued operations.
We highly recommend reading the bulletin and sharing with fellow international aviation authorities and operators.
NBAA recently noted the following related to ICAO’s guidance in this post:
The PHC [Public Health Corridor] concept is based on the use of “clean” crew, “clean” aircraft, “clean” airport facilities and “clean” passengers, with “clean” referring to implementing measures to ensure virus-free status, to the extent possible.
The PHC applies to operations carrying cargo, supporting maintenance activities and positioning aircraft without passengers. This includes ferrying of new and repaired aircraft and transportation of crewmembers for operational purposes.
The ICAO guidance also includes guidelines for crewmembers at airport; pre-, in- and post-flight; and during layovers, as well as a sample aircraft disinfection control record and a Crew COVID-19 Status Card.