The spreading of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has important implications for airlines and their customers. On this page you will find resources for airlines and other travel professionals. 

IATA is closely monitoring developments related to the Coronavirus outbreak in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) Secretariat, ICAO and the US Centers for Disease Control.

New operational guidelines from WHO (18 March)

18 March - Operational considerations for managing COVID-19 cases or outbreak in aviation (pdf)

Government measures related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

Please see our updates on government measures related to the Coronavirus.

The IATA Travel Centre website lists the latest updates on travel restrictions related to the outbreak.

Cargo & COVID-19

Find out all instructions and recommendations for Cargo professionals

Specific instructions on COVID-19 - Dangerous Goods Guidance for Operators (pdf) for more information on the transport of Specimens of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

Recommendations for Ground Handling operators

Detailed recommendations for passenger check-in, transfer, gate handling, baggage, cargo and ULD handling, ramp handling, aircraft cleaning, GSE storage and training can be found on our Ground Operations page.

Transport of Coronavirus specimens and alcohol-based sanitizers 

Please refer to our COVID-19 - Dangerous Goods Guidance for Operators (pdf) for more information on the transport of Specimens of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

Advice for travelers 

Please find all answers to traveler questions on our travelers FAQ page.

 

Other Communicable Diseases

Measles 

Measles is still common in many parts of the world including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa. Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting infected when traveling internationally.

For more information, please see the WHO advisory on Measles.

Ebola

As of 9 March 2020, WHO advised that there had been no cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for 3 weeks. The outbreak could be considered over if there are no cases for 42 days. 

Emergency response

New from WHO (18 March) Operational considerations for managing COVID-19 cases or outbreak in aviation (pdf)

Based on the experience with different outbreaks, IATA has produced an Emergency Response Plan and Action Checklist (pdf), for use by air carriers in the event of a public health emergency.​​

An important part of this plan involves a series of guidelines and best practices for airline staff in the event of public health emergencies.