Burdensome new Ebola rule will affect every US-bound flight

Quick Summary

From November 4, every passenger on a flight departing for the US must complete a new Ebola form
Applies to all aircraft operators: airline, charter, non-scheduled, business aviation – everyone
Setting up the process to handle this will be burdensome for many operators

From midnight on November 4, every flight departing for the United States will require that passengers have completed a new form, stating that they have not been to the D.R.C./Congo in the past 3 weeks.

For all operators, this presents a rather burdensome paperwork requirement, at very short notice. It applies to every aircraft arriving into the US, not just airlines.

What are the new rules?

Every passenger on board an aircraft bound for the US is required to complete the Ebola form before boarding
The form is an attestation that they have not been in the D.R.C. (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, “the big one”) in the past 3 weeks (21 days)
The aircraft operator must collect the form from each passenger (physically, or via a digital version) and retain it for 6 weeks (42 days)

What operators does this apply to?

This applies to all aircraft operators. Airlines, Charter, Business Aviation, private flights, Cargo (if you have “pax”) – everyone
There are no differences between different operator types. Same form, same requirements
Crew appear to be exempt, but this is not specifically stated in the technical instructions from CDC

Exemptions

For passengers, basically none. The only mentioned examples in the technical instructions are for flights with Ebola patients, or government flights given permission by the CDC to operate without the form
Operating flight crew, apparently. All references are to “passengers”, but not specifically stated by CDC

OPSGROUP View

The new requirement has taken members by surprise, with a short timeframe to implementation
Implementing the form collection and retention process will be burdensome for most operators. Some pushback from airline trade organisations might be likely in the coming week
The official form provides room for the passengers name only, without any mention of flight number, seat, or date of flight. Operators therefore have to find a way to reliably link the signed form to the PNR or passenger details.
Creating an in-house digital process for this seems to be the easiest approach
If you have any tips on implementation to share for the group, please let the OPSGROUP Team know.

Start here – Official Sources

If you are just getting started with implementing the process, the following are the official documents and sources. We have saved copies of the current forms here for members to make things easier, but check for any updates.

CDC Website: Ebola attestation – the official announcement and details
Passenger Form – paper version, PDF
Fillable Form – a fillable version of the PDF provided by CDC.
CDC Official Order – Ebola attestation – PDF.
Technical instructions – from CDC, for aircraft operators – “How to”.

Let us know

If you have any input on how this is affecting your flight operations, please let the team know. We are especially interested in hearing how you are implementing the process, if you are using a digital method, and anything you learn along the way. We will then be able to update members. Thanks!

OPSGROUP Members

Review the full New Ebola Rule Briefing in your members dashboard. Further updates and member feedback will be posted here.

Questions and Answers

Below are some of the member questions we have answered.

Is this just for African countries?

Nope, the place you depart from for the US is not relevant. All flights, all origins.

What happens if the passenger HAS been in the Congo in the last 21 days?

Then CDC says they cannot travel to the US. There is a mandatory 3 week waiting period. CDC says that “You are considered to have been in the DRC if you were physically present in DRC at any time during the previous 21 days. This includes entering or traveling through DRC by air, land, or sea. Connecting through an airport in DRC also counts as being present in the country, even if you did not leave the airport or the plane. The 21-day waiting period is based on calendar days. Day 0 is the day you leave DRC, and Day 1 is the first full calendar day you are outside DRC. You may board a flight to the United States beginning on Day 22, provided you meet all other travel requirements. You will not be allowed to travel to the United States during Days 0–21.”