ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Qantas CEO Says Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Necessary To Fly

Qantas CEO Says Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Necessary To Fly

Sorry anti-vaxxers, no holidays for you

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

The CEO of Qantas has said that people who wish to fly with them will have to prove that they've had the coronavirus vaccination before getting on board their flight, once it is widely available.

The Australian airline boss Alan Joyce also reckons that proof of vaccination will be a general requirement of many airlines as things start to return to something like normal after this wretched pandemic.

Joyce has previously stated that air travel won't resume fully until there is a safe vaccine available for staff and travellers, but went beyond that to say that it will become a necessity for those who wish to travel.

Speaking on A Current Affair on Monday, Joyce said: "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.

"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."

PA

While some of the anti-vaxxers might simply assume they can fly on other airlines, Joyce believes that this rule will be applied by any carrier, not just Qantas.

He added: "I think that's going to be a common thing talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the globe."

If that vaccine is successful, Joyce has stated that he does expect to see international travel return to something approximating normal by the end of 2021, but added that the state of growth of the virus elsewhere makes that difficult right now.

PA

He explained: "Unfortunately with the levels of the virus in the United States and in Europe, we're not going to see operations to those destinations in any real strength until we see a vaccine being rolled out, which is likely towards the end of 2021,"

However, domestic flights have now resumed between Melbourne and Sydney as travel between New South Wales and Victoria has opened up again.

That could mean that Qantas can operate at around 60 percent of usual business by Christmas.

For the rest of us, it could be a while longer yet.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Science, World News, travel, Australia, Health