Covid Vaccine: Qantas Chief - No Vaccine, No Fly!
Australia’s Qantas has become the first airline to insist all its passengers must be vaccinated against coronavirus.
The Australian flag carrier's boss, Alan Joyce, said the move would be "a necessity" when vaccines are available.
"I think that's going to be a common thing talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the globe," he said.
Australia shut down its international borders early in the pandemic and required those returning to quarantine.
The country has more recently relied on lockdowns, widespread testing and aggressive contact tracing to push daily infections nationwide close to zero.
In an interview with Australia's Nine Network on Monday, Mr Joyce said Qantas was looking at ways of changing its terms and conditions for international travellers as the industry, which has been hit hard by travel restrictions, looks at ways of moving forward.
"We will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft... for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country we think that's a necessity," he told the broadcaster.
South Korea's largest airline, Korean Air, is already reviewing its policies for screening travellers.
Spokesperson Jill Chung said it is possible some airlines will mandate the vaccination but only because of potential government policy.
'This is not something for airlines to independently decide,' she told Al Jazeera.
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