The International Business Aviation Council and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association have welcomed the report of the Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART), which has been released by ICAO. The report outlines principles and recommendations regarding the restart and recovery of the global air transport system following the COVID-19 pandemic. CART's work will facilitate coordination among the ICAO member states, international and regional organisations, including IBAC, and industry by providing global guidance for a safe, secure and sustainable restart and recovery of the aviation sector.

IBAC director general Kurt Edwards says: “We commend ICAO and the task force for developing these principles and recommendations to assist the restart and recovery of the air transport system. Although the report speaks mainly to scheduled air transport and large airports, we at IBAC, representing business aircraft operators, are pleased to note the report's support for protecting people, working as one aviation system, ensuring essential connectivity, and strengthening public confidence using public health measures that work with the aviation system.”

Edwards underscored IBAC's efforts in a closely related initiative at ICAO, the Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA), which links ICAO, the World Health Organization (WHO), other United Nations agencies and industry in developing coordinated, practical approaches to operating under the current challenges. “We continue to work with ICAO in other ways,” he continues. “Through CAPSCA, we have expanded the concept of the Public Health Corridor (PHC) to include some critical operational needs of the business aviation sector, such as ferry flights, maintenance flights and delivery flights to public sector owners. These are the types of operations that cannot be delayed and can be managed within the envelope of confidence provided by the PHC concept.”

GAMA provided important information to support the expansion of the PHC concept, as its president and CEO Pete Bunce explains: “We applaud the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force for its work to put forth guidelines and recommendations addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global aviation. General and business aviation is working concurrently with similar health and safety protocols and is appreciative of the progress being made on Public Health Corridors. It is crucial that all sectors of the aviation industry work together to progress through the recovery process.”