The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday issued an aviation directive (NOTAM), regarding domestic and international flights from November 9-30.
It is recalled that Greece entered its second nationwide lockdown on Saturday.
The following restrictions are in place until November 30.
Domestic flights
From 6am on Monday, November 9, domestic flights and commercial and general/business aviation to all airports in the country will be permitted only for essential travel, including for reasons of health, professional/business trips, family reasons (reunification of families) and a return to the permanent place of residence.
There are exceptions including: Hellenic national healthcare system flights, state flights, sanitary flights, humanitarian flights, emergency flights, military flights, fire-fighting flights, Frontex flights, technical landings where passengers do not disembark, ferry flights and cargo flights.
International flights
From Tuesday, November 10, all passengers of international flights departing from Greek airports must fill in a Passenger Locator Form.
As of 6am on Wednesday, November 11, travellers entering Greece must present a negative COVID-19 test no older than 72 hours, upon arrival. At the same time, passengers also need to 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 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.
SMS 13033 for movement during lockdown
All individuals residing in Greece will be required to send an SMS text message to 13033 in order to obtain permission to leave their homes during the lockdown.
The SMS to 13033 should be formatted as follows: X (one of the digits 1-6 corresponding to the activities below), name, surname and address.
The six reasons (you must SMS) are:
- Visit to a pharmacy or visit to a doctor if necessary
- Visit to a supermarket or stores for essential supplies
- Visit to a bank if e-banking transactions are not possible
- Visit to people needing assistance or escorting children to and from school
- Attending a funeral, as per the conditions provided by the law, or visiting children in case of divorced parents
- Physical exercise outdoors or up to two persons taking their pet for a walk while always observing a 1.5-metre distance.
Alternatively, individuals unable to send SMSs, can fill out the form by hand. There are two types of documents: Document A, which is filled out once by the person going to work, with name, home address, work address, and shift schedule. This will be provided by employers. Document B is for trips not related to work and must be filled out every time a citizen wishes to leave his or her house, instead of an SMS. It must contain name, home address, destination and reason for circulation.
Anyone leaving the house will have to carry a valid identification card or document with them.
