CEO of Australia’s Largest Airline Says COVID Vaccine a “Necessity” for International Travelers

Planet Free Will – by Joe Jankowski

The CEO of Qantas Airways, the largest airline in Australia, says that a COVID-19 vaccination will be a “necessity” for international travelers under new flying terms and conditions his airline has put into consideration.

In an interview with Aussie news program A Current Affair, CEO Alan Joyce said that he is unsure if his airline will require the shot for domestic travelers but that it would certainly be required for those entering and leaving the country.

“We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say, for international travelers, that we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft,” Joyce said.

“Whether you need that domestically, we’ll have to see what happens with COVID-19 and the market.”

He would go on to add that under the new conditions the vaccine would “certainly be for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country.”

“We think that’s a necessity,” said Joyce.

Further in the interview, the CEO would mention that he believes similar policies will be a new reality for those who wish to travel internationally in the post-corona world.

“I think that’s going to be a common thing talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the globe.”

The news of Qantas’ potential vaccine mandate for travelers comes in the wake of a report in Axios which detailed how multiple global airline alliances were likely to require passengers to sign up for a “health pass” which includes a digital certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 before they fly.

“Three global alliances representing 58 airlines are pushing governments to allow widespread COVID-19 testing of passengers instead of existing quarantine restrictions that they argue are ineffective and have killed travel demand,” the report states.

It is possible the health pass would be the creation of Commons Project, a Swiss non-profit financed by the Rockefeller Foundation, that tested a digital certificate designed to serve as a clearance mechanism for passengers based on a health diagnosis in October.

The certificate, called Common Pass, would check if travelers have the health qualifications required by the government in the country they seek to enter with such information being verified through a QR code on the traveler’s phone.

In a speech at the G20 summit on Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted the idea of introducing globally-recognized health QR codes as a worldwide standard for cross-border travel.

“We hope more countries will join this mechanism,” Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

“We need to further standardize policies and establish fast tracks to facilitate the orderly flow of people.”

China implemented mandatory mobile phone QR codes to prove health status and travel records in February.

Planet Free Will

One thought on “CEO of Australia’s Largest Airline Says COVID Vaccine a “Necessity” for International Travelers

  1. Australia is sure full of commies it’s a goddamn hell on Earth over there. The people just let the communist crap all over them. Yeah yeah I know and so we. For some reason it just seems a lot worse over there. Again I understand, no guns

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