Qantas to only accept passengers who have had coronavirus vaccine
Distant dreams: the first nonstop flight between London and Perth in Western Australia
(Qantas)Qantas will demand that international air passengers have had the coronavirus vaccine before they fly, the CEO has said.
The Australian flag carrier’s chief, Alan Joyce, said he expected the measure to become a prerequisite for future travel.
“We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say that, for international travellers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they get on the aircraft,” he told the Australian programme A Current Affair.
”Whether you need that domestically, we will have to see with Covid-19 and the market but certainly, for international visitors coming out [of Australia] and people leaving the country, we think that's a necessity.“
Mr Joyce added that Qantas wasn’t the only airline weighing up such stipulations for travellers.
“I think that's going to be a common thing talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the globe,” he said.
If the vaccines being touted now prove to be successful, Mr Joyce anticipates international flights to and from Australia could return in something approaching pre-coronavirus capacity by the end of next year.
The Australian government has previously announced that international travel would only resume once a vaccine had been rolled out, projected as being unlikely before the end of 2021.
Josh Frydenberg, the Treasurer, confirmed the decision to wait until a vaccine was available after handing down the Federal Budget, reported News.com.au.
He said: “International travel, including by tourists and international students, is assumed to remain largely closed off until late next year and then gradually return over time, and a vaccine to be available around the end of 2021 is one of the assumptions in the budget.
“We have taken every step possible to give Australia the best possible chance of getting a vaccine.”
Domestic travel, meanwhile, is gradually reopening across the country.
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