30/04/2020
On behalf of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, flights between the capital and Almaty will be opened from May 1. As the Head of State noted, this is necessary both for citizens and for the work of many specialists, including those involved in the fight against the virus.
Flights will be carried out on a daily basis - 4 flights a day - by Air Astana, SCAT, FlyArystan. Ticket sales are already open.
In addition, the State Commission for Ensuring the State of Emergency under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan decided to resume flights from Nur-Sultan and Almaty to Kyzylorda, Petropavlovsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semey from May 4. Flights will be carried out with enhanced sanitary requirements.
A regulation on interaction between aviation and sanitary and epidemiological services has been developed. In particular, passengers must have certificates of passing the test for COVID-19 with a negative result (the certificate is valid for 7 days from the date of issue), as well as personal protective equipment (masks, gloves). It is important to note that tests for coronavirus infection are done on a paid basis at the expense of citizens' own funds.
Sanitary requirements also include thermometry, social distancing, enhanced disinfection of airports and aircraft.
Peter Griffiths, Director General of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan JSC, spoke about how the aviation industry prepared for the start of flights.
- The head of state instructed to think over precautionary measures, develop regulations for the interaction of aviation and sanitary and epidemiological services in order to restore passenger air transportation. To what extent did you manage to fulfill the order of the President?
- The aviation of Kazakhstan is ready to start flights, all the necessary security measures, including sanitary ones, are provided. We can restore air traffic today, because we started preparations 2 weeks ago. A number of online seminars were held, the main subject of discussion was actions to safely and effectively restart the aviation industry. They were attended by representatives of domestic and foreign airlines, airports, aviation training centers.
Flights will first resume between Almaty and Nur-Sultan. Then, as we receive additional instructions from the Government, we plan to restore passenger flights with Shymkent, Atyrau and Ust-Kamenogorsk.
Air Astana, SCAT, Qazaq Air will be the first to resume work, and later FlyArystan. The growth of air traffic will be quite slow for all airlines.
In addition, we are re-launching the call center. Operators will be able to answer questions from airline representatives and passengers from 7 am to 11 pm.
- Mr. Griffiths, in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus between countries, the number of flights has been reduced to a minimum. Regular air traffic on the territory of Kazakhstan was completely closed. How have quarantine measures affected the industry?
– The global aviation industry is one of the areas most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. According to ICAO forecasts, in the first half of 2020, the number of seats offered by airlines will decrease by 56%. The number of passengers carried will decrease by 593 million. At the same time, operating losses of airlines will amount to $132 billion.
For example, if in Kazakhstan until March 22, 2020, 540 flights per week (77 flights per day) were operated on 45 domestic routes, then from April 2, all domestic regular flights were suspended. Therefore, I consider the President's statement on the opening of air traffic to be excellent news. The aviation industry is one of the key industries in the economy, it is the driver of many processes and, most importantly, it supports the normal functioning of the state and the comfort of its citizens.
Now we need to support the industry as much as possible and protect it from additional costs that may lead to operational difficulties in the winter period and in subsequent years. If we start recovery now, we will need 3 years to make up for material losses.
However, the most important thing for us now is the maintenance of security.
– Tell us, how is the control and supervision of ensuring flight safety in the republic during the state of emergency carried out?
- Employees of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (hereinafter - AAK) continued to work during the period of emergency and quarantine. The mode and quality of work has not changed. We are continuing inspections. So, during the quarantine, two airworthiness certificates were suspended due to non-compliance with safety standards, and these aircraft do not fly now.
– Have the sanitary requirements for aircraft and airports changed due to the pandemic?
- Sanitary requirements, of course, have increased. For example, cleaning in airplanes and airports is now more frequent.
Before the pandemic in Europe, general cleaning of the side was carried out every 4-6 weeks, now it is much more frequent. Changing seat covers, thoroughly cleaning with disinfectants, and changing aircraft air filters take several hours.
As soon as flights resume, general cleaning on board will become mandatory every day. Airlines will be required to ensure that bathrooms are sanitized after each passenger.
Still, we will have to limit customer service on board. It will not stop, but will be reduced to a minimum. All waste will be immediately disposed of.
Passengers are advised to wear masks on the plane. Gloves are not required. It is important to keep drinking water during the flight.
I will also say a few words about maintaining physical distance at airports. The passenger terminal has passenger seat stickers. Restrictive floor strips have been applied. The number of citizens in the terminal will now be limited. It is possible to extend the slots (the time allotted at the airport for the flight) to avoid the accumulation of passengers during peak hours.
Check-in for domestic flights will start 2 hours, for international flights - 3.5 hours before the departure time. Registration ends in 50 minutes.
At all airports in Kazakhstan, the disinfection regime has been strengthened, the frequency of cleaning and disinfection of waiting rooms, toilet rooms, handles, buttons, and handrails has been increased.
Air harbor personnel are provided with personal protective equipment.
- Can airplanes be considered an object of the spread of coronavirus?
“Only if the person on board is infected. There have been several discussions on this issue with colleagues from ICAO and the World Aviation Safety Foundation, and there is no evidence that infection occurred on aircraft during flights. I personally studied this problem.
Even during the period of sanitary evacuation, when transported 180-190 passengers on board a 200-seat aircraft, no infection was found. For example, employees of the aviation administration flew on planes that previously had passengers infected with the coronavirus and did not get sick after that.
This is due to the fact that the air exchange in the aircraft cabin is carried out much faster than in the building. An aircraft is a kind of aluminum pipe that is under pressure. Air enters it from the atmosphere and is fed into the upper compartment of the cabin. Fresh circulates inside, and all the spent, which is no longer needed, descends to the lower part, through the ventilation holes in the floor enters the tail of the liner and from there - out.
This air circulation is vital, especially when there are 190 passengers on board. During the experiments, you can see how actively air exchange occurs. Given all this data, we can resume air traffic.
- Several cases of COVID-19 infection among aviation personnel have been registered in Kazakhstan. How will the safety of employees be ensured after the resumption of flights?
- We analyzed the facts of infection of aviation personnel in Kazakhstan and did not find confirmation that the infection occurred on an aircraft. The source was people who were on the ground, the infection was transmitted through social communication, family, friends, when visiting public places.
However, we insist that airline employees undergo thorough medical screening. Companies are required to provide them with the necessary protective equipment: masks, gloves, aprons, and also monitor their replacement.
During the lockdown, entry requirements have increased. Employees with fever are suspended from work. There have already been several such cases with flight attendants, but not with pilots. These measures will be in place for a long time, including after the pandemic has passed.
- Will there be physical distancing on the plane?
– If you maintain physical distance on board, then the bankruptcy of airlines will happen much faster than in a situation where flights will not operate at all. It is profitable for companies to fly only at full load.
If all measures for the disinfection of the aircraft are observed, the crew is examined before being allowed to fly, the operability and cleanliness of the air exchange system are checked, then from the experience of sanitary evacuation during the pandemic, in which Air Astana and SCAT actively participated, we see no reason to maintain physical distance on the air ship.
We do not recommend physical distancing when boarding, as at this time the risks of infection are similar to those on board. But we strongly advise you to observe it in the terminal for passengers, during check-in and baggage claim, and people must use masks. These recommendations are based on the results of relevant studies and are supported by our colleagues from international organizations.
- Pilots of civil aviation must fly in order not to lose their qualifications. What measures are being taken by the aviation administration so that pilots do not lose their skills?
– So far, the quarantine has not been long enough. But the longer it lasts, the more difficult it is for the pilots to recover. If, for example, pilots cannot fly for more than 90 days, they risk losing the necessary qualifications.
I want to remind you that the flights did not completely stop. The main pause fell on passenger traffic. Air Astana and SCAT continued to operate cargo flights, not only in Kazakhstan, but also international ones. On average, about 250 flights per day are made in the airspace of Kazakhstan. Now the Boeing 757 is used as a cargo carrier - for transporting medical supplies, without passengers on board. Flight safety is certainly ensured.
Что касается других авиакомпаний, то мы предложили методы смягчения сертификации пилотов на данный период. Не стоит забывать, что есть еще требования к сертификации инженеров и диспетчеров. Мы постоянно работаем над этим.
– Компания Bek Air после авиакатастрофы лайнера в декабре находилась под пристальным надзором ААК, транспортной прокуратуры и МВД. Было принято решение отозвать их сертификат эксплуатанта. Сможет ли Bek Air когда-нибудь летать снова?
– Yes, but they will have to go through the entire certification process again. The activities of this company raised many questions, it did not meet international standards. We do not expect Bek Air to resume operations any time soon. But if they want to be certified, we will consider the application.
As far as we know, this company is currently not operating. And the hardest hit were its employees, who not only lost a source of income, but also the opportunity to serve the community by performing civilian flights.
They do not have the opportunity to find a job now, because due to the suspension of air traffic in the world, difficulties have arisen in the sectoral labor market. I myself once found myself unemployed, so I understand how difficult it is to go through such a period, how important it is to get to work as soon as possible.
During the quarantine, part of the pilots and flight attendants of the airlines were sent on forced unpaid leave. Now this is a big problem for us. All employees should be able to return to their jobs. And the situation in Bek Air only exacerbates the existing problem. But I am sure that if we restore the aviation industry, then there will be new places for employment.
- Mr. Griffiths, what other measures is the aviation administration taking to restore civil aviation in Kazakhstan?
– To do this, until November 30, 2020, the validity period of several certificates and licenses is extended. For example, certificates of aviation personnel, qualification and special marks, the terms of which expire during the period of the state of emergency; certificates for the right to perform aviation work; certificates of the operator of civil aircraft and certificates for the right to perform aviation work. The exception is airworthiness certificates, which are issued for up to 120 days.
The new temporary procedures have been developed taking into account the maintenance of the level of flight safety, which makes it possible to control the compliance of airlines with the current requirements of the legislation of Kazakhstan. This practice is recommended by ICAO and is used worldwide.