Airlines mull compulsory Covid-19 vaccinations for passengers as solution to revive tourism

As countries grapple with the prospect of opening up their borders to international travel again next year, a controversy is looming over whether airlines will make proof of a Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for passengers.

Last week, Alan Joyce, the head of Australian flag carrier Qantas, sparked an angry backlash after telling the country’s Nine Network that airlines around the world were discussing whether to make vaccinations a pre-boarding requirement.

"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 channel, about his own airline, which has lost some $2billion this year.

He said passengers could carry an electronic version of a “vaccination passport” that certifies it is acceptable for the final destination country.

Mr Joyce has previously indicated vaccines could be the solution to revive the global airline industry after a torrid year of travel restrictions where it has haemorrhaged profits and jobs.

Among those criticising his suggestion as draconian was British travel agency, Tradewinds Travel, which said on its website that it would no longer be offering Qantas flights.

“We feel that bodily autonomy with regard to medical intervention is a personal choice and not something to be forced onto people by businesses,” it said. “We are not anti-vaccination but we are pro-choice. There is a huge difference between coercion and making a free choice.”

A similar post on its Twitter account gained more than 20,000 likes.

Alexandre de Juniac, head of the International Air Transport Association, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the compulsory vaccine stance was a “bit premature,” stressing that testing was more critical.

However, the Asia-Pacific region, which has generally performed well against the pandemic is unlikely to rush to reopen borders without tough precautions.

Jill Chung, a spokesperson for Korean Air, South Korea’s largest airline said there was a real possibility that airlines will require that passengers be vaccinated because governments may require this as a condition for lifting quarantine for arrivals.

Air New Zealand echoed a similar position.

Mandatory health requirements to board an aircraft and enter certain countries is not unprecedented. Some nations already demand proof of Yellow Fever or Polio vaccinations before travellers are allowed to fly in.