Although the United States has announced that it will reopen its borders to vaccinated people next month, there is still a lot of uncertainty over AstraZeneca’s position, according to KLM CEO Peter Elbers.

Elbers was in Boston for the IATA annual meeting a few days ago. U.S. borders will not actually open until November; Currently the only way to enter the country is to apply to the NIE (National Interest Exemption). The KLM CEO successfully appealed to the arrangement, but many Europeans, on the other hand, did not approve it.

So Elbers spoke to the Dutch press via video link. When asked about the upcoming opening of U.S. borders for vaccines, he said: “There are still some questions about the exact details. All we heard was “early November”, but we were still waiting for the exact date. The last word about permissible vaccines has not yet been said. The IATA position is that all WHO-approved vaccines, including AstraZeneca, should be tested in the United States. But the borders will open, and that’s good news, we can not wait for that.

What does it mean for KLM to reopen the United States?
“The United States is our largest market outside of Europe. Air traffic within the United States is recovering well and Atlantic traffic is expected to grow significantly from November onwards. It was an airport, measured by the number of flights. “

Business travel seems to be still sluggish
“People went on vacation as soon as it was over again last summer, and there was a lot of demand. But commercial transport often has a different planning horizon. Agreements have to be made on the spot. However, we saw the first signs of a return to business in Europe in September. Long distances will take longer.”

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