The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) is advising business aircraft operators to be prepared well in advance for high-traffic events such as the Olympics and European Football Championships this year, particularly with the latest healthcare advisories further complicating travel. On Tuesday at ABACE 2016, AsBAA chairman Charlie Mularski joined a panel of trip-planning and operational experts from Universal Weather Asia Pacific, UAS Trip Support, Medaire, Jeppesen and DuPont to discuss the pitfalls of operating at locations that are hosting such events, as well as other tricky travel scenarios.

“We advise everyone to begin planning early–don’t wait until the last minute, work with your ground handler, be mindful of the must-do local tax issues and plan the tasks for each location,” Mularski said, noting that the problems might extend beyond typical slots and parking issues. He added that these events might also cause hotel availability shortage and possible additional requirements, such as healthcare clearances.

“Don’t try to cheat the system–you cannot. There are massive penalties for lateness and errors,” Mularski said. “There are a lot of frustrating issues, such as parking, that are still under discussion, and with slow planning on behalf of the authorities, there is an even greater need for early and thorough planning by the operators, which will include full healthcare and vaccination clearance.”

The panel discussed vaccination requirements for travel to Brazil and the need to be aware of restrictions and requirements when returning from countries such as Brazil.