The aviation industry is battling to stay in business as so many countries have closed cross-border travel to help control the pandemic.
International travellers are well used to obtaining visas – often at considerable cost and inconvenience.
So why not develop an international Covid-19 visa.
The purpose would be to test all passengers before every flight to see if they are infected. It would require testing stations and a dedicated laboratory to do these checks, but much of the cost could be recovered from those who apply for the visa.
Spare capacity could be made available at a charge to governments so that the time taken for results is fast enough to allow boarding onto the plane.
It doesn't mean dropping the need for precautions such as hand cleansing, and masks where applicable, and strictly controlled social distancing at airports. But it would open up the possibilities of international flights.
