The Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific has welcomed China's decision to reopen the border with quarantine-free travel, saying this "completes" the normalisation process worldwide post Covid-19.
ACI reiterated, however, its calls for a "consistent and harmonised" approach from the Governments in response to measures towards managing inbound travel.
"China has played a dominating role in the region's economy and is anticipated to be one of the most vibrant aviation markets, contributing 16% of the global traffic by 2040. The decision to reopen borders is long-awaited," said Stefano Baronci, director-general of ACI Asia-Pacific.
Baronci noted that China is a significant contributor to tourism in the region, and the reopening of the borders will be a huge boost for the industry as well as the economy of the region.
"China is the last major economy in the world to reopen borders after three years of lockdowns in accordance with its Zero-COVID strategy," he said. "The opening of Chinese borders completes the process of normalisation of freedom of movement of international passengers in the region that has already witnessed relaxation of travel protocols during the second half of 2022."
In order to ensure the smooth recovery of air traffic, cooperation and the establishment of standards that harmonise the processes for international travel between states are crucial.
The Director General also cautioned that governments should work closely with the aviation industry.
"The latest introduction of inbound travel protocols in India and Japan confirms the need to improve the coordination of travel restrictions amongst States that should strengthen their dialogue for coordinated prevention, preparedness and response planning with the involvement of the aviation industry and more effective and aligned decision making for travel regimes," Baronci said.
ACI said the global recovery would only be realised with the escalation of vaccination campaigns, the development of digital health passes, and supportive policies from governments.
It noted that this also calls for further engagement by WHO and ICAO.
