Qantas to require Covid vaccinations for international flights

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(CNN) – Australia’s national carrier Qantas will require future international travelers to prove they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 before flying.

Airline CEO Alan Joyce said in an interview with CNN affiliate Nine News on Monday that the move would be a “necessity” when coronavirus vaccines are readily available.

Joyce said the airline was considering changing its terms and conditions to “require people to get vaccinated before getting on the plane.”

“Whether you need this nationally, we’ll have to see what’s happening with Covid-19 in the market. But certainly, for international visitors going out and people leaving the country, we think it’s a necessity. “said the head of Qantas.

While Qantas is the first airline to say Covid-19 vaccinations would be a must before travel, others may soon follow suit.

“I think this will be a common theme, speaking to my colleagues from other airlines around the world,” Joyce said.

Alan Joyce, Managing Director of Qantas Airways, in Sydney, Australia, February 20, 2020.

Brent Lewin / Bloomberg / Getty Images

An AirAsia spokesperson told CNN Travel on Tuesday that once a vaccine becomes available, the airline “will review the requirement for customers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 for international travel.”

Air New Zealand said it was “really encouraged by the news about vaccines” and said in a statement that “ultimately it is up to governments to determine when and how it is safe to reopen the borders and we continue to work closely with the authorities on this matter. “

It is far from certain at this stage that a vaccine requirement for travel becomes the international standard. It is also questioned whether governments would impose such a decision – and the legalities to do so – before allowing international travelers into their country.

The debate comes as three drugmakers unveiled promising results in the fight against the coronavirus this month. AstraZeneca announced Monday that its investigational coronavirus vaccine has shown an average 70% effectiveness in large-scale trials, Moderna announcing earlier in November that its vaccine was 94.5% effective against the coronavirus, and Pfizer / BioNTech revealing that his vaccine was 95% effective.

But the question of how to safely start travel during the pandemic is an issue that airlines and countries are grappling with. Airlines around the world have been hit hard by the drop in travel, and countries have missed much needed tourism revenue.

Qantas 737-800 aircraft parked on the runway at Sydney Airport on May 20, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.

James D. Morgan / Getty Images

Vaccination passports and health passes

Joyce said Qantas is considering the possibility for passengers to have a “vaccination passport” which “certifies what the vaccine is and whether it is acceptable for the country you are traveling to.”

This is something the airline industry is seriously considering.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the body representing airlines globally – said on Monday that a digital health pass, which could include information on vaccines, is key to the opening of the borders.

The IATA Travel Pass is now in its final stages of development. The airline plans to conduct a cross-border pilot test later this year, with the aim of launching it in the first quarter of 2021.

“Today’s borders are double-locked. Testing is the first key to enabling international travel without quarantine measures,” Alexandre de Juniac, managing director and CEO of IATA said in a statement.

“The second key is the global information infrastructure necessary to securely manage, share and verify test data corresponding to travelers’ identities in accordance with border control requirements. This is the job of the IATA Travel Pass. . We will also be bringing it to market in the coming months to meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health corridors that are starting to function. “

Speaking at the G20 leaders’ virtual meeting on Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping pushed for a global Covid-19 tracking system using QR codes, to help speed up international travel and business.

The Australian government has also indicated that vaccinations may be mandatory upon entering the country. Its Covid-19 vaccination policy, announced last week, states that while vaccination will be voluntary, “however, there may be circumstances in which the Australian government and other governments may introduce entry or entry requirements. return to borders conditional on proof of vaccination. “

Flights resume as border controls relax

Australia has adopted some of the world’s toughest lockdowns and travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, including a 14-day quarantine for arrivals, and states closing their internal borders to domestic travelers.

On Monday, the border between New South Wales and the former viral hotspot of Victoria reopened after four months. Flights between Sydney and Melbourne, once the country’s busiest air route and the world’s second busiest domestic route, have also resumed after falling to as low as one a day during the lockdown.

Qantas and Jetstar – which once operated a flight every 15 minutes during peak periods along this route – launched 17 flights between Sydney and Melbourne on Monday, according to Qantas. The airline said the reopened route would help increase the Qantas Group’s overall domestic capacity.

On Tuesday, the airline announced that Qantas and Jetstar will operate more than 1,200 additional round-trip flights to Queensland from New South Wales and Victoria before Christmas, following the Queensland government’s decision to lift restrictions on borders.

Capitalizing on pent-up demand for travel, Qantas also launched a ‘flight to nowhere’ in September, where passengers spend seven hours looping across the continent, passing over landmarks like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. The airline said tickets sold out within 10 minutes.

However, the airline’s international fleet remains grounded. In August, Qantas said it was “unlikely” to resume international flights until July 2021, as it suffered heavy losses from the pandemic.

Qantas reported a loss of A $ 2.7 billion ($ 1.9 billion) for the fiscal year ended in June, and a 91% decline in profit from the previous year. The airline also announced at least 6,000 job cuts as it battled what Joyce called “the greatest crisis our industry has ever seen.”

CNN’s Jennifer Hauser contributed reporting.

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