Air New Zealand has joined Qantas and a number of other airlines in enforcing a ‘no jab, no fly’ policy for overseas travellers next February.
Customers travelling on the airline’s foreign network will be required to be completely immunised.
According to CEO Greg Foran, vaccination against Covid-19 is now a requirement for international travel. He explained that many of the sites New Zealanders desired were already closed to unvaccinated guests.
The regulation will apply to all passengers aged 18 and over who fly with Air New Zealand into or out of Aotearoa. Anyone who is unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons must submit proof.
Foran stated that the decision came “loud and clear” during recent staff meetings “We want to do everything we can to protect them. Mandating vaccination on our international flights will give both customers and employees the peace of mind that everyone onboard meets the same health requirements as they do.”
All flight crew travelling internationally will also require full vaccination.
“We know this is the right thing to do to protect our people, our customers and the wider New Zealand community. We’ll spend the next few months making sure we get this right, ensuring it works as smoothly as possible for our customers. This also gives anyone wanting to travel from next year plenty of time to get their vaccination.”
Foran stated that the company is in the process of putting out the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Travel Pass app, which will compare clients’ health information to their travel details to verify they match the destination’s entrance requirements.