The airline industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 92 percent decline in the international air traffic and millions of travel-related jobs being affected.

A recent survey conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that most travelers are reluctant to take air transportation amid the coronavirus pandemic because they fear of getting the virus from other passengers during long flights. Quarantine requirements for many countries also turned away travelers who were not comfortable with restrictions after arrival.

To regain travelers' confidence, IATA is calling for rapid, accurate and scalable testing for all passengers before departure.

"Testing all passengers will give people back their freedom to travel with confidence. And that will put millions of people back to work," says Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director general and CEO.

Health authorities are open to air travel but realized that an international approach and a testing standard for air travel should be developed.  

This issue has been moved to a United Nations forum, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) based in Montreal, for further discussion on October 29. The ICAO will work on setting global guidelines based on scientific advice that could help countries establish testing programs.

Scientists also raised concerns on the accuracy of rapid testing because some people who are infected with the virus but showed no symptoms may also test negative.

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