Greece extends travel restrictions

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority issued a new aviation directive (NOTAM) on Wednesday.

The NOTAM aims to protect passengers and residents of Greece from a rise in new coronavirus cases.

It includes the following:

• All passengers travelling to Greece by air from Hungary will continue to be obliged until September 30 to provide a negative Covid-19 test result on arrival to Greece; the test cannot be older than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Greece.
• Flights between Greece and Turkey remain suspended to September 30 (midnight).
• Flights between Greece and Albania and North Macedonia will continue to operate through the Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ only, until September 30 (23:59).
• All passengers travelling to Greece from Bulgaria, Malta, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Spain, Albania and North Macedonia will continue to be obliged until September 30 to provide a negative Covid-19 test result on arrival to Greece; the test cannot be older than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Greece.
• Passengers travelling to Greece by air from Sweden will be subject to covid-19 testing until September 30.
• The NOTAM concerning passengers from Israel has been extended until September 30. They are obliged to provide a negative Covid-19 test result on arrival to Greece; the test cannot be older than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Greece.
• Flights between Greece and Catalonia in Spain remain suspended until September 30.
• All passengers travelling to Greece from Russia will continue to be obliged until September 21 to provide a negative Covid-19 test result on arrival to Greece; the test cannot be older than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Greece.

In addition, the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority has extended the ban on entry of non-EU citizens until September 30, except for the following countries’ passengers, who will be able to travel to Greece: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates. Proof of residency will be required.

All passengers arriving in Greece must fill in a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) at least a day before arrival, providing information that will include their departure airport, the address where they will be staying and the expected duration of their stay in Greece, among others. The information on the form is a key element of the country’s planning for protection against the pandemic and preventing the spread of the virus.

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority stressed that before accepting passengers for boarding, airlines must check:

• the PLF submission confirmation at least the day before the flight, which is a mandatory travel document
• the correspondence with the QR code and the PLF

Airlines that do not comply with this control obligation will be responsible for the repatriation of passengers at the expense of the company.