Due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa, starting November 4, all aircraft operators with flights inbound to the U.S. from any foreign country to have passengers and crew fill out a new Ebola form from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency is mandating passengers and crew to attest that they have not been to the Democratic Republic of the Congo/Congo-Kinshasa in the past three weeks. Aircraft operators must then collect either a physical or digital form and retain it for six weeks.
According to flight-planning information firm OpsGroup, this requirement will apply to passengers and crew from all aviation segments—airline, charter, business aviation, and private—with the same form used by all. The CDC noted that willfully providing false or misleading information may lead to criminal fines and imprisonment.
The only exemptions, as detailed by the health agency, are for aircraft operators transporting Ebola patients under U.S. government authorization and in accordance with CDC guidance, and for individuals granted a CDC exemption based on humanitarian or other important government considerations.
Given the short notice of implementation, the issuance and retention process may prove burdensome for some operators. OpsGroup suggests operators create an in-house digital process to manage the procedure.
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