Airline plans to require “vaccine passport” for international travel

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Qantas Airways may soon allow only travellers who are inoculated against the coronavirus to board its international flights.
• In a Monday interview, Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said the airline will have to enforce a “vaccine passport” to its passengers once the vaccine becomes globally available.
• Joyce also pointed out the necessity of coming up with the rule which he said would serve as extra protection for international travels.

Australia’s flag-carrying airline Qantas Airways may ultimately require only COVID-19 vaccinated passengers to board its international flights.

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce made the announcement in an interview on Monday saying a possible “vaccine passport” will likely be enforced as an additional safety measure for future international travel.

Joyce’s revelation comes as a part of an early discussion with other airline executives on how airlines will accommodate travellers once the vaccine becomes widely available to the travelling population.  He added that they still need to devise a way to electronically check and verify passenger immunity before the traveller reaches the airport or boards the plane.

“We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travelers, that we will ask people to have the vaccination before they get on the aircraft,” Joyce told Australia’s 9News, as per reports from The Associated Press.

While deemed as an ambitious task, Joyce stressed that it is a necessity especially with international visitors coming out and people leaving the country.

The CEO however didn’t say whether the COVID-19 vaccine policy would also apply in domestic air travel within the country. The airline was contacted for further details.

Already, spokespersons for other air carriers such as Korean Air and Air New Zealand have said that the airlines too will eventually require travellers to receive immunizations before they can fly.

But Korean Air spokesperson Jill Chung said this rule cannot be independently decided on by the airlines but can only be enforced by the government, according to the AP.  

So far, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are the only three nations that have successfully kept infected people out curbing the spread of COVID-19 within their borders amid the global coronavirus crisis. 

Source: Fox News