Joyce said the airlines “ask people to get vaccinated before boarding the plane.” Is focusing on changing its terms and conditions.
“Whether you want it locally, we’ll have to see what happens to the Covid-19 in the market,” said the head of Kantas. But of course, for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think it’s a necessity.
While Qantas is the first airline to indicate that Covid-19 vaccinations are required before travel, others may soon claim.
“I think it will be a common theme, talking to my colleagues at other airlines around the world.”
Fisher Lan Lan Joyce, Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Airways in Sydney, Australia on February 20, 2020.
Brent Levine / Bloomberg / Getty Images
An AirAsia spokesman told CNN Travel on Tuesday that once vaccinated, the airline would “review the need for guests to be vaccinated against Covid-19 for international travel.”
Air New Zealand said it was “really encouraged by the news around vaccines” and said in a statement that “ultimately, it is up to governments to decide when and how it is safe to reopen borders and we will continue to work with officials on this.” . “
Whether the need for vaccines for travel becomes an international standard is determined at this stage. Before admitting international travelers to their countries, there are also questions about whether governments force such measures – and the legality of doing so.
But the issue of how to start traveling safely during an epidemic is one that airlines and countries are grappling with. The decline in travel has hit airlines around the world hard and countries will lose much-needed tourism revenue.
Contas 737-800 aircraft parked on the runway at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia on May 20, 2020.
James d. Morgan / Getty Images
Vaccination passport and health pass
Joyce said Qantas is looking at the possibility for travelers to have a “vaccination passport” that “certifies what the vaccine is and the country for which you are traveling is acceptable.”
That’s something the airline industry is seriously thinking about.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the body that represents airlines globally – said Monday that the digital health pass, which may include vaccine information, is the key to opening borders.
“Borders are double-locked today. Testing is the first key to enabling international travel without quarantine measures,” IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Junique said in a statement.
“Another key is the global information framework needed to securely manage, distribute and verify test data matching passenger identities in compliance with border control requirements. This is the work of the IATA Travel Pass. We are also launching in the coming months. Meet the needs of travel bubbles and public health corridors. “
Flights resume as border controls relax
According to Quantas, 17 flights between Sydney and Melbourne were launched on Monday, according to Quantas and Jetster – which at one time operated flights on this route every 15 minutes during peak periods. The airline said the reopened route would help increase the Qantas Group’s overall domestic capacity.
The airline said on Tuesday it would operate more than 1,200 additional return flights to Queensland from Queensland and Jestar New South Wales and Victoria following the Queensland government’s decision to lift border restrictions.
However, the airlines have an international fleet ground. In August Gust, Kantas said international flights are unlikely to resume before July 2021, as it has suffered heavy losses due to the epidemic.
CNN’s Jennifer Hozer contributed to the report.
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