The requirement that someone be vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel with Qantas will take effect when a vaccine is available to the public, Chief Executive Alan Joyce, said Monday night.
“We are looking
at changing our terms and conditions to say, for international
travelers, that we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can
get on the aircraft,” he added.
According to him, Qantas is also considering applying this measure to domestic flights. "But certainly, for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think that’s a necessity," he continued.
The CEO of Qantas also predicted that this measure will be generalized
in the world of aviation, as governments and airlines are currently
considering, according to him, the possibility of establishing
electronic vaccination cards.
Australia has closed its borders since March to stem the pandemic of the
new coronavirus. Many tens of thousands of Australians have been
trapped abroad because of this, and the government allows a limited
number of its citizens to return each week.
This policy of isolation seems to have borne fruit, as the country has
recorded just 907 deaths due to COVID-19 and just over 27,800 cases of
new cases since the outbreak.
Qantas, which, like all airlines around the world, has been hit by the
rapid decline in air travel due to the pandemic, has cut 8,500 jobs and
grounded more than 200 aircraft.
