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Coronavirus: Asian airlines report high vaccination rates among staff; Australia racks up biggest daily rise in cases
- Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Australia’s Qantas and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific are among those requiring crew to be vaccinated
- Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Covid-19 outbreak jumped to 21 cases but authorities said the virus may not have been in the community for long
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Asian airlines are reporting high vaccination take-up rates among pilots and cabin crew as they wait for the region’s tight pandemic-related border controls to be relaxed.
International travel in the Asia-Pacific region remains down about 95 per cent from pre-pandemic levels, and concerns about the Delta variant have led to even stricter quarantines or flight caps in some places, leaving many aircrew members idle and hoping for a recovery.
Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Australia’s Qantas and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific are among those requiring crew to be vaccinated or risk losing their jobs.
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Singapore Airlines said 99 per cent of active pilots and cabin crew had been vaccinated ahead of a September 1 deadline, as well as all frontline ground staff.
“Vaccinations further enhance the protection for them and everyone around them, on top of the stringent measures that have been put in place to minimise their risk of exposure to the Covid-19 virus at work,” Singapore Airlines said in a statement.
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Singapore has begun easing pandemic restrictions, allowing more people to return to the office from Thursday. The nation has also expanded vaccine eligibility to include special pass holders such as those on training work permits.
Malaysia Airlines said that all active pilots and cabin crew had received vaccines as had 95 per cent of Malaysia-based employees under a policy set in July.
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