The Government has extended until the end of the month the ban on flights to and from countries outside the European Union, within the scope of the measures to contain the spread of covid-19, according to an order published in Diário da Republic.
The diploma, signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, Home Affairs, Health, and the Secretary of State for Affairs and Communications, takes effect from Monday until the last day of June.
The “extension of the ban on air traffic to and from Portugal for all flights to and from countries that are not part of the European Union” (EU), allows exceptions, such as the countries associated with the Schengen Area (Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland), the Portuguese speaking countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Venezuela, Canada and South Africa, given the presence of important Portuguese communities.
Regarding Portuguese-speaking countries, the diploma safeguards that in the case of Brazil only flights from and to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will be admitted.
The rules contained in this order also do not apply to flights aimed at the entry and departure of nationals of the European Union, of states associated with the Schengen Area and of third countries with legal residence in a Member State of the European Union, as well as persons of third countries traveling for study purposes.
This diploma applies to commercial flights, excluding State and Armed Forces aircraft, aircraft integrated in the Special Rural Fire Fighting Device, as well as flights for the exclusive transportation of cargo and mail, or of a humanitarian and medical emergency nature.
Fica também definido que, através de despacho conjunto, os ministros da Administração Interna e da Saúde podem adotar medidas específicas de controlo sanitário necessárias, em função da origem dos voos e atentas as orientações da Comissão Europeia e a avaliação da situação epidemiológica pelo European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In the context of the epidemiological situation caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the exceptional measures adopted to deal with the covid-19 pandemic, in March the ban on air traffic to and from April 17 was determined from Portugal for all flights to and from countries outside the European Union, successively extended until 00:00 on 15 June, taking into account the assessment of the epidemiological situation in Portugal and the European Union and the measures proposed by the European Commission.
Despite the progress made, the Government maintains the extension of air traffic restrictive measures, “taking into account the guidelines of the European Commission of 11 June 2020 regarding the application of temporary restrictions to non-essential trips to the EU, in a common coordinated approach opening up the EU’s external borders and according to the evolution of the epidemiological situation ”.