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The COVID-19 pandemic in just a few weeks has turned the whole planet upside down: from an open accessible world we have transformed into a closed fragmented particular world separated by hard transient borders. For several months, airlines in Europe suspended almost all their operations and the airports were closed for the commercial aviation. The COVID-19 crisis has caused a collapse in the air traffic and had a catastrophic impact of the airline industry and the aviation value chain. The coronavirus pandemic exposed many weaknesses across the European aviation system for which the relevant institutions did not have a quick and efficient fix. And while we are slowly and conditionally regaining the freedom to travel within the European countries and across continents, the future of air transport is being jeopardized by this global health crisis, both in term of short-term safety and economic impact and its long-term values and responsibilities. In the field of civil aviation safety, the emphasis has shifted from the security measures against acts of unlawful interference, to measures and activities to protect the human health. All relevant international civil aviation organizations began working closely together with the most important international institutions for control of infectious diseases, in the creation of special protocols for protection against COVID-19 in air traffic. Health safety is now an intrinsic element of the aviation safety. It is very clear that air travel will never be the same again and that the air transport industry should contribute to reinventing the travel experience for the future. Because of all this, the aim of this paper is to identify the most significant safety challenges facing the European air transport system in conditions of global health crisis. At the same time, the paper is giving some useful thoughts and recommendations for sustainable implementation of appropriate and efficient safety measures by the entities in the international and domestic aviation industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]