Qantas boss says passengers will need to be vaccinated for international flights

(CNN) — Australia’s national carrier Qantas will require future international travelers to prove they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 before flying.

The airline’s CEO Alan Joyce said in an interview with CNN affiliate Nine News on Monday that the move would be a “necessity” when coronavirus vaccines are readily available.

Joyce said the airline was looking at changing its terms and conditions to “ask people to have a vaccination before they get on the aircraft.”

“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 and people leaving the country, we think that’s a necessity,” the Qantas chief said.

While Qantas is the first airline to indicate that Covid-19 vaccinations would be a must before travel, others could soon follow suit.

“I think it will be a common theme, talking to my colleagues in other airlines across the world,” Joyce said.

Alan Joyce, chief executive officer of Qantas Airways, in Sydney, Australia, on February 20, 2020.

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A spokesperson for AirAsia told CNN Travel on Tuesday that once a vaccine is available the airline “will review the requirement for guests to be vaccinated against Covid-19 for international travel.”

Air New Zealand said it was “really encouraged by the news around vaccines” and said in a statement that “ultimately, it’s up to governments to determine when and how it is safe to reopen borders and we continue to work closely with authorities on this.”

Whether a vaccine requirement for travel becomes the international standard is at this stage far from certain. There are also questions about whether governments would mandate such a move — and the legalities of doing so — before allowing international travelers into their countries.

The debate comes as three drugmakers unveiled promising results in the fight against coronavirus this month. AstraZeneca announced on Monday that its experimental coronavirus vaccine has shown an average efficacy of 70% in large-scale trials, with Moderna announcing earlier in November that its vaccine was 94.5% effective against coronavirus, and Pfizer/BioNTech revealing that its vaccine was 95% effective.

But the issue of how to safely kick start travel during the pandemic is something airlines and countries are grappling with. Airlines around the world have been hit hard by the decline in travel and countries have missed out on much needed tourist revenue.

Qantas 737-800 aircraft parked on the runway at Sydney Airport on May 20, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.

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Vaccination passports and health passes

Joyce said Qantas was looking at the potential for passengers to have a “vaccination passport” that “certifies what the vaccine is and whether it’s acceptable to the country you’re traveling to.”

It’s something the airline industry is thinking seriously about.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) — the body representing airlines globally — said Monday that a digital health pass, which could include vaccine information, is the key to opening borders.

The IATA Travel Pass is now in its final phase of development….