Major airlines are urging the U.S. and the European Union to quickly restore transatlantic air travel. It has been suggested that a joint COVID-19 testing program should be formulated which would allow passengers to easily enter countries which until this point have barred them.
The CEOs of United, American Airlines, IAG and Lufthansa Group wrote a letter on Tuesday to to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and to Ylva Johansson, the European commissioner for home affairs.
“Given the unquestioned importance of transatlantic air travel to the global economy as well as to the economic recovery of our businesses, we believe it is critical to find a way to reopen air services between the U.S. and Europe.”
The letter was addressed “with urgency” and marketed the idea as “an excellent opportunity for government and industry to work together” and “safely restore passenger travel between the U.S. and Europe.”
The signers were Scott Kirby for United, Carsten Spohr for Lufthansa, Doug Parker for American, and Willie Walsh at IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia.
