Freighter charters support Ebola efforts

There is expected to be an increased reliance on air charter into West African countries affected by Ebola as passenger airlines cut back services. British Airways stopped flying to Sierra Leone and Liberia in August, and has said it has no plans to resume the flights until March 2015. Emirates has also cut flights between Dubai and Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Further restrictions are being imposed. Britain has banned Gambia Bird from reintroducing non-stop flights between London and Freetown, Sierra Leone. The carrier, owned by German airline Germania, stopped its flights in August due to the Ebola crisis. Commercial operators still flying into the area are cutting back on services due to falling demand as both tourists and business travellers avoid West Africa. This has a knock-on effect for the availability of air cargo. Passenger volumes to the region are unlikely to pick up soon as it becomes more difficult and unpleasant to travel. Heathrow, Gatwick and Eurostar in Britain have all started screening for Ebola among passengers flying into the UK from Ebola risk countries. Under the UK screening regulations passengers arriving from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will be identified by Border Force officers upon arrival. Nurses and consultants from Public Health England then carry out the screening. Five American airports also announced screening measures in October. Teams equipped with thermal guns take the temperatures of travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and ask them questions about their possible exposure to the virus as they enter the US. In Africa, Nigeria’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos stepped up its health screening measures after the nation’s second Ebola case was confirmed. The airlines are expected to carry out screening at the point of departure in the highrisk countries.