Now that European countries are moving forward with vaccination programs, the prospect of opening up countries to at the top of the agenda. Although it’s in everyone’s benefit to do so, countries disagree about how best to achieve this and haven’t been able to agree on a coordinated approach. However, it was recently announced that the EU plan to launch a vaccine passport or ‘digital green pass’ that would allow travelers to move freely within Europe for work or tourism. The union hopes to have it up and running to allow movement between 27 of its member states in time for the summer season, which is fantastic news! Unsurprisingly, tourism-reliant economies like Spain and Greece have welcomed the move as they’ve been pushing for a way to help recoup their losses for 2020 and get their economies moving again. However, other governments have expressed concerns.
So, where do these concerns arise? EU leaders have already agreed on the contents of a vaccine certificate, but the digital green pass will include more than that. The proposed format is effectively an App that contains digital records of travelers’ health records such as PCR test results, proof they have had a COVID-19 vaccine, and details of any medical history that may pertain to COVID-19. Even amid assurances that travelers’ security and privacy will be respected, a number of concerns surrounding data protection and the possibility of discrimination between those who have been inoculated and those who haven’t have been voiced.
So, now we await the legislative proposal… I look forward to seeing the full details when they are released later this month. If this is a success, the EU has already suggested it would work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to help expand such a scheme to other areas. Even the United Kingdom has announced discussions it’s having with international partners to implement a similar plan. Let’s hope other regions and travel corridors employ similar protocols and the creases can be ironed out of the EU’s plan and that all the member states concerned can agree on a workable solution. A trip to the Mediterranean in the coming months may not be such an impossible dream for many EU citizens after all.
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China Operations | - 12/23/2019
Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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