Coronavirus vaccinations ‘a necessity’ to board Qantas flights in future, airline CEO says
- Australia’s flag carrier plans to implement the measure once a vaccine is made public, suggesting such rules could become commonplace
- Vaccination entry requirements are already widely used around the world, with many countries demanding travellers be inoculated against yellow fever
“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,” he told Channel Nine.
“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.”
Joyce predicted the rule would become standard practice around the world as governments and airlines currently consider the introduction of electronic vaccination passports.
Another major regional airline, 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,” said a Korean Air representative.