When the next European Council meeting of European leaders convenes in Brussels Oct. 21-22, the agenda will include a discussion of the evolution of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

AirBaltic is requiring all of the airline’s staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-November. 

Airline COOs gathered in Brussels praised the EU Digital COVID Certificate but said a lack of coordination in travel rules between countries made flying seem complicated and was still putting off would-be passengers.

More than four in five aviation-related companies recently polled do not require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to aviation job website JSfirm.com.

Republican leaders in the U.S. House Transportation Committee have written to President Joe Biden expressing concerns about the administration’s use of airline contracts as “coercive measures” to get carriers to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for their workers.

The UK government will remove 47 countries and territories from its COVID-19 travel red list, opening up the possibility for airlines to reinstate more of their pre-pandemic schedules. 

The airline industry is now aiming for a net-zero emissions target, to be reached by 2050.

Demand could spike quickly when COVID-19 restrictions ease, with many Asia-Pacific airlines needing MRO providers to help reactivate and perform checks on aircraft that have been in storage for several months.