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It is a dilemma for business and leisure travelers.
There are practically entry bans into the USA, many Asian countries and other regions in the world.
The corona crisis means immense losses for the aviation industry and probably the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
Now the federal government is planning a further aid package for the industry after billions for Lufthansa.
Above all, it wants to prevent another mega-catastrophe year through rapid tests and special travel corridors, for example to the USA.
First of all, the federal government and the states want to pump over a billion euros into the hard-hit industry.
Aid for airports is also planned, such as the new BER airport.
The federal government is therefore planning to provide half a billion euros in support for ailing airports.
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Countries should give another half a billion euros, even for small airports.
It was said that there was "largely" positive feedback from the countries.
Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) have come to an understanding, the dpa learned from government circles.
Some details emerge from the submission of the Ministry of Finance for the adjustment meeting of the budget committee of the Bundestag that takes place on Thursday.
It provides aid for the airports in Berlin, Cologne / Bonn and Munich, in which the federal government is involved.
At BER, planning is based on the worst variant, according to which only 30 percent of passengers are expected by 2019 in 2021 and up to 660 million euros will be required.
The federal government accounted for 171.6 million euros of this.
The federal states would then participate regionally.
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A new addition to the Finance Ministry's aid list is a 300 million euro capital injection for DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung so that the air traffic controllers can maintain their business operations.
As a justification for the state aid, reference is made to the lack of income from the corona pandemic.
The airports have little income, but have to pay running costs.
At an air traffic summit of politics and business around two weeks ago, Transport Minister Scheuer spoke of a rescue package.
At that time, however, there was still no agreement with Scholz.
The Bundestag should then approve the budget in mid-December.
The rescue package is already meeting with criticism from the Greens.
As so often, Scheuer and Scholz set the wrong priorities at the expense of the traffic turnaround and climate protection, according to a statement.
A railway summit is more necessary.
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Many of the smaller regional airports did not have a viable business model even before the Corona crisis.
According to the Greens, this is an irresponsible way of handling tax money and fueling the climate crisis.
Germany does not need 25 regional airports.
That is "economic and climate policy insanity".
The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL) welcomes the planned financial injections.
Managing Director Matthias von Randow speaks of "that the federal government wants to build bridges in order to avoid irreparable structural breaks in the German air traffic system".
The umbrella organization of German airlines and airports is currently thinking intensively about how things can go a little better again in 2021.
The goal is to achieve greater differentiation in the definition of risk areas at the beginning of 2021.
The BDL relies primarily on rapid tests so that “existing travel restrictions on travel corridors to be defined can be lifted”, as BDL boss von Randow says.
As the association says, it should be possible to fly back to the USA at the beginning of next year, for example, if rapid tests are carried out in the vicinity of the trip.
In order to stimulate air traffic again, it would make more sense "to test more than give travelers a blanket quarantine, which can hardly be monitored anyway," says a BDL spokesman.
One of the many details that still have to be settled is whether people who have already received a corona vaccination will also have to be tested in the future.
A stronger differentiation in the risk areas and which factors are included in the assessment is also necessary.
Lufthansa and its Austrian subsidiary Austrian Airlines are already gaining experience with rapid tests at the airport on a few routes.
However, passengers have to be at the counter two hours before departure.
Only those who have tested negative are allowed to board.
Because the rapid tests do not provide a 100% diagnosis, the passengers still have to wear a mask during the flight.
The crew is also tested.