At this point in time, there is very little clarity on how and when an approach will be developed for airports that is scalable as volumes return. While a low contact approach with social distancing enforced is an option, this would only be viable while the number of travellers is limited. There has been speculation that it could take up to four hours to move through and airport, but that is mostly untested for now.
There is a heavy reliance on technology such as contact tracing being adopted consistently around the world and there is ongoing discussion about medical pre-screening prior to arriving at an airport so that once you are permitted entry, it is designated as a ‘clean’ space.
However, while this is imaginable on outbound travel it is difficult to see how this would work for return travel given the incubation period of COVID-19 and the asymptomatic presence of the virus in some people, which is where the contact tracing becomes critical.
Heathrow Airport is calling for the development of an international standard for safe flying and is trailing a number of technologies to detect passengers’ temperatures to assess the medical effectiveness, passenger response and suitability for the airport environment of each technology. Further systems to be tested include UV sanitation, facial recognition, thermal screening technology and contactless security procedures.