Flight shutdown: Germany is (seriously) thinking about it
Just a year ago, a flight shutdown would have been unthinkable. A science fiction (or almost) scenario. Now that there [...]
Lufthansa
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Only a year ago, one shutdown of flights would have been unthinkable. A science fiction scenario (or almost). Now that we are in the midst of the pandemic and the second wave of the Coronavirus is proving even more ferocious, the hypothesis seems real. At least in some states.
In this article:
The first European country to reason about a flight shutdown is the Germany, frightened by the variants of the virus that are slowly spreading: the English variant, the Brazilian variant, the South African variant. But what does it mean to shut down air traffic? Let's see it together.
Travel in Germany today
For Italy, Germany belongs to the countries of Group C. Those returning from these states must have a molecular or antigenic test within 48 hours prior to arrival in Italy or, alternatively, undergo fiduciary isolation.
Italians cannot travel to Germany for tourism since last November 2. As of Jan. 14, those who need to travel to German soil for essential reasons (work, health, return to home) are required to register in the appropriate portal (here), to present a negative PCR test and to undergo a 10-day isolation, which can be reduced if the swab, taken from the fifth day, is negative. They are excluded from the quarantine requirement:
- people in transit
- people who stay in Germany for less than 24 hours
- People who enter to transport goods or people
- commuters
- persons who enter to visit first-degree relatives or non-cohabiting partners and stay in the country for less than 72 hours
- persons entering for periods of up to 5 days for proven, strictly necessary and unpostponable reasons of work, study or professional training
Germany and the flight shutdown
Germany is among the countries most affected by the second wave of the Coronavirus, so much so that it has adopted a new (and stringent) lockdown in effect until mid-February. However, the British variant scares the government greatly. The scenario being considered? A shutdown of flights, the almost total closure of air traffic. A measure, this one, already taken by Israel.
"The danger from the numerous mutations of the virus forces us to consider drastic measures. This includes significantly stricter border controls, especially at the borders of high-risk areas, but also the Near-zero reduction in air travel to Germany, as Israel is doing," commented Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
For the time being, however, this is only a hypothesis. Angela Merkel has asked Seehofer to do everything possible to prevent further deterioration of the country's health situation, not least because if the flight shutdown becomes a reality, it would be a disaster. Especially for Lufthansa. Airline flights, in fact, have already been drastically curtailed, going so far as to be nearly canceled if concerning high-risk countries. Those arriving from one of these states must submit a negative pcr test or take one (at their own expense) within 48 hours. This is not counting the 5/10 days of mandatory quarantine.
Here, then, is where a shutdown of flights would deal the death blow to air carriers.
