The International Air Transport
Association (IATA) has asked the United States Government to clarify
the recent Executive Order issued on travelling into the country.
IATA said the order was issued without
prior coordination or warning, causing confusion among both airlines
and travellers.
The apex aviation body made this known
in a statement released on its website and obtained in Lagos on
Monday.
The Executive Order was signed by
President Donald Trump on Jan. 27 amidst criticisms from opponents of
his administration.
For 120 days, the order bars the entry
of any refugee who is awaiting resettlement in the U.S. It also
prohibits all Syrian refugees from entering the U.S. until further
notice.
Additionally, it bans the citizens of
seven majority-Muslim countries—Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan,
Libya, and Yemen—from entering the U.S. on any visa category.
These countries were named in a 2016
law concerning immigration visas as “countries of concern.”
But the executive order also makes
clear those seven countries are just a starting point for a likely
broader ban.
The order exempts diplomats and members
of international organizations from the ban.
The order also directs the secretary of
Homeland Security to conduct a 30-day review to determine which
countries do not provide “adequate information” for its citizens
to be issued visas to enter the US.
Trump also stopped the admission of all
refugees to the United States for four months.
However, IATA in the statement, said
the order had changed entry requirements for the US immediately and
significantly.
The statement said :”It also placed
additional burdens on airlines to comply with unclear requirements,
to bear implementation costs and to face potential penalties for
non-compliance.
“We ask for early clarity from the US
administration on the current situation.
“Moreover, we urge all governments to
provide sufficient advance coordination of changes in entry
requirements so that travelers can clearly understand them and
airlines can efficiently implement them.”
According to the statement, IATA is
working with its 265 member airlines for safe, secure, efficient and
sustainable global air transport links.
It said as a matter of principle, the
organisation works for the free movement of trade and people across
borders.
“IATA also recognises that states
have the right and duty to protect their citizens by enforcing their
borders.
“Where this has implications for air
travel, we work with our member airlines to help them comply with
these requirements efficiently and effectively.
“Global systems and procedures exist
to support this activity. IATA’s Timatic online solution, for
example, is a global database for travel document requirements.
” It is updated constantly and used
by airlines and travel agents around the world.
“These systems can only support the
efficient implementation of any government’s directives by the
global air transport industry with advance coordination as well as
with detailed and consistent operational information,” the
statement said.
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