Because of the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned against nonessential travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the three countries experiencing the current outbreak.
The CDC raised its travel health alert to Level 3, the highest level, for those countries.
The agency will send 50 additional personnel to those countries in the next 30 days to help the 12 staff already there, according to Tom Frieden, director.
IATA is coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding possible implications for air service.
WHO currently is not recommending restrictions or the closure of borders at points of entry of the three countries. The organization said that the risk of a traveler becoming infected is low, but advised that travelers avoid all direct contacts with blood, secretions, organs or body fluids of those infected with Ebola.
Symptoms of Ebola include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, followed by impaired kidney and liver functions, and at advanced stages, internal and external bleeding.
"The air transport industry has dealt with several outbreaks of communicable diseases in recent years. The global response to communicable diseases is governed by the WHO's International Health Regulations. Airlines follow guidance material which has been developed by WHO, ICAO and IATA," said IATA in a statement.
"We will continue to monitor developments closely in the Ebola outbreak in close coordination with the WHO and ICAO."