No flight without a vaccine: Passengers on Australia's Qantas must have a Covid jab, in first sign of what could become common across the industry
- Countries and airlines are consider introducing electronic vaccination passports
- Qantas CEO Alan Joyce yesterday said it would make vaccinations mandatory
- The move would be similar to countries that require yellow fever inoculations
Passengers will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to fly with Australia's Qantas, the first major airline to suggest rules that could become common across the industry.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce yesterday said the Australian flag carrier would implement the measure once a coronavirus vaccine was made available to the public.
He predicted the rule would become standard practice around the world as governments and airlines consider introducing electronic vaccination passports.
Sewage testing on planes, monitoring ankle bracelets and DNA testing are also being considered to keep passengers safe.
Joyce said: 'We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travellers that we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft.
Passengers will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to fly with Australia's Qantas, the first major airline to suggest rules that could become common across the industry. Pictured: Passengers disembark the first Qantas flights from Melbourne yesterday following the lifting of border restrictions at Sydney Airport
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'Whether you need that domestically, we will have to see what happens with Covid-19 in the market but certainly, for international visitors coming out (to Australia) and people leaving the country, we think that is a necessity,' he told Channel Nine.
'I'm talking to colleagues in other airlines around the world and that will be a common theme across the world.'
Other major regional airlines, however, said that it was too early to comment on what travel requirements might be when a vaccine becomes widely available.
'We don't have any concrete plans to announce at this point on the vaccine as it is still in development and will take time to distribute,' a Korean Air representative said.
Japan Airlines similarly said it had 'no plans to require international travellers to have a vaccination' and is for now asking 'passengers to follow rules of their destinations, such as taking tests'.
Singapore now requires incoming travellers over the age of 12 to wear electronic monitoring devices if they're not staying in a dedicated quarantine facility, while Hong Kong has a similar policy.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (pictured) said late Monday the Australian flag carrier would implement the measure once a coronavirus vaccine was made available to the public
Papua New Guinea recently made ankle bracelets mandatory for international workers arriving into the country on designated charter flights, which must be worn while they're in two weeks quarantine.
Vaccination entry requirements are already widely used around the world, with many countries demanding travellers show they have been inoculated against yellow fever if they are coming from regions where the disease is endemic.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) yesterday announced it was in the 'final stages' of developing a digital health pass that it says can be used to record Covid-19 tests or vaccinations and will 'support the safe reopening of borders'.
'We are bringing this to market in the coming months to also meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health corridors that are starting operation,' IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said.
Pre and in-flight tests are set to become the new norm for travellers. Pictured is a healthcare worker at Sydney Airport on Monday after border restrictions between NSW and Victoria were lifted
Australia's borders have effectively been closed since March to curb the spread of novel coronavirus, which has already claimed more than a million lives worldwide.
The country has even limited the numbers of its own citizens allowed to return each week, leaving tens of thousands of Australians stranded overseas.
The global airline industry has come under huge pressure from restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
Qantas has grounded more than 200 planes and laid off 8,500 staff as it attempts to offset a $1.9billion loss caused by the collapse in demand for air travel.
A slew of other carriers have collapsed because of the pandemic, including Virgin Australia, Chilean-Brazilian airline LATAM and Britain's Flybe.
Australia's international borders have effectively been closed since March to curb the spread of the virus
IATA said in October that after a predicted 66-percent drop in global air traffic this year, airlines' revenues are expected to be down by 46 percent in 2021 compared to 2019.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Australia is seeking to create 'travel bubbles' with other countries that have curbed the spread of the virus.
But the country is unlikely to fully reopen to international travellers until a vaccine is widely available.
The government also signalled in its recently released Covid-19 vaccination policy that Australia and other nations may introduce proof of inoculation as a condition of entry.
Australia has been relatively successful in containing the coronavirus, recording just over 27,800 cases and 907 deaths since the pandemic began.
