Ever since the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to an unforeseen halt, tour operators, travel companies and governments have been looking for ways to revive the tourism sector, without having to compromise on the safety of passengers.
Being an indispensable part of the travel industry, airlines too were compelled to figure out how they could fly customers and crew cross-border while strictly maintaining the Covid-19 protocols and regulations in different countries.
Now, with the mass vaccination programs being underway in several countries, airlines are gradually starting to find their footing again. Some of them have introduced ‘vaccinated flights’ to ensure maximum safety of their passengers.
What are vaccinated flights? Which airlines are operating them? How safe are they? Read on to find out.
To renew people’s confidence in international air travel, some airlines have vaccinated all their pilots and cabin crew. Their flights henceforth will be managed only by staff inoculated from the coronavirus, thus reducing the risk of onboard transmission.
A few airlines have also taken the bold decision of flying vaccinated passengers only.
Etihad, the national airline of the UAE, was the first one to announce on Feb 10 that it was the first airline in the world with a 100 per cent vaccinated crew.
Etihad’s vaccination initiative has been in solidarity with the country’s Choose to Vaccinate campaign, and has cemented its position as an industry leader in its response to the pandemic and in keeping its employees and customers safe.
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The next day, on Feb 11, Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier airline of Singapore, and its sister companies, SilkAir and Scoot also began operating flights with vaccinated pilots and attendants, becoming the second airline to do so.
Although only a few select flights are being managed by fully vaccinated staff, more routes will soon jump on the wagon, as over 90 per cent of SIA’s cabin crew and pilots have already registered to get inoculated.
On Feb 21, Emirates also flew its first flight serviced solely by vaccinated staff. Not only had the pilots and cabin crew taken the jabs, but the airline’s employees at check-in, security, business and first-class lounge, and boarding gate too, had been inoculated against the virus.
Over 26,000 of the company’s UAE frontline aviation workforce have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine till date.
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Qantas made headlines back in November 2020, when it announced that it will start asking its customers for proof of vaccination in the coming months. Delta Airlines ‘ CEO, Ed Bastian, has also said vaccinations will sooner or later become a “requirement” for international travel.
As the number of vaccinated individuals continues to grow around the world, more airlines are expected to implement such vaccination-related restrictions.
While flying in a vaccinated flight may sound like a relief to passengers, it’s probably not quite the bulletproof solution to normalising international travel.
For one, it is not yet clear if vaccinated individuals can transmit the virus to others, even if they themselves are protected against getting sick.
Until research sheds light on this, it is advisable to wear masks, use sanitiser and maintain social distancing rules on flights. Infectious-disease specialists say even vaccinated people should limit travel to essential trips.
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Moreover, although the flight crew has been vaccinated, other passengers may not have been, so you still run the risk of contracting the virus from them.
That said, vaccinations will be occupying a central place in the global travel scenario, with countries mandating vaccination certificates or vaccine passports for international arrivals.
To what extent vaccinated flights will uplift air travel is uncertain as of now.
One thing, however, remains definite that travellers and airlines will have to adapt to the changes in the situation to be able to return a semblance of normalcy again.
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This article was first published in Wego.