The Association of Airlines (ALA), the leading organization in the sector in Spain with 85% of air traffic in our country, has urged the central Government and the Autonomous Communities to unify criteria on the health requirements that passengers must meet when flying "to promote passenger confidence and not generate confusion among travelers and the airline sector".
The president of ALA, Javier Gándara, has demanded "clarity of criteria, with a harmonized and coordinated solution that gives certainty to passengers, the airline sector and also the tourism sector." In addition, he advocates implementing "fast and affordable tests as the best solution to restore passenger confidence and promote air connectivity." This request from ALA is due "to the disparity of criteria seen in recent days, specifically between the central Government and the Canary Islands."
“We ask the central Government and the Canary Islands Executive to agree and clarify as soon as possible what criteria should be followed. The regulations of the Canary Islands Government, and the silent response of the central Executive, are generating a lot of confusion among airlines and passengers, who wonder what criteria they follow, do they abide by what the central Government or the Canary Islands says? This regulatory tangle will discourage travel and will cause a slowdown in flights and tourist activity,” says the president of ALA.
In this regard, ALA recalls that on December 10, a Decree of the Government of the Canary Islands came into force that allows the use of antigen tests for the health control of international travelers upon arrival in the Archipelago, among other issues. However, it states that the Resolution of the General Director of Public Health of the central Government of November 11 only recognizes PCR tests, and since December 9 also molecular tests known as TMA, as a mandatory condition for international passengers coming from high-risk countries to enter Spain as long as the result is negative.
"While the Canary Islands Executive maintains that the aforementioned Decree prevails over the Resolution of the central Government, appealing to its status as a competent delegated authority, among other arguments, the Ministry of Health reaffirms that a PCR or TMA test is mandatory for international passengers to enter Spain, although it has not explicitly unauthorized or endorsed the regulations of the Canary Islands," concludes the Association of Airlines.
