Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday welcomed comments from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen indicating that the EU will grant unrestricted access to vaccinated travelers from the U.S. this summer. However, the group also cautioned against “excluding” unvaccinated people from crossing borders.

 


In an interview with the New York Times, Von der Leyen did not specify timeline or logistics details about the plan, but noted that the U.S. appears likely to have fully vaccinated 70 percent of its population by mid-June. The European Union banned nonessential travel to the bloc except for a few countries with a low number of cases such as New Zealand and Singapore. The EU has barred U.S. citizens and those from most other countries from crossing its borders since March 17, 2020.

 


“This is a step in the right direction,” said IATA director general Willie Walsh of von der Leyen’s comments. “To be fully prepared, it is imperative that the EC works with the industry so that airlines can plan within the public health benchmarks and timelines that will enable unconditional travel for those vaccinated, not just from the U.S. but from all countries using vaccines that are approved by the European Medicines Association.”

 


IATA, however, called for the development of globally recognized standards for digital vaccine certificates and termed “vital” the acceleration by the EU of adoption of the European Green Certificate.

 


IATA promotes its Travel Pass app as a means to help industry and governments manage and verify vaccination status, as it does with testing certificates. It also reiterated its position on requiring vaccination as a condition of entry.

 


“The presentation of negative COVID-19 test results should also facilitate travel,” said IATA in a statement. “Central to this is acceptance by EU governments of rapid antigen tests that the commission has approved for use and which fulfill the critical criteria of effective, convenient, and affordable.” 
 
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News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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