Qantas ends vaccination mandate for international passengers
The contentious ‘no jab, no fly’ policy becomes a thing of the past from July 19.
By David Flynn, July 13 2022
Qantas is scrapping its requirement for all international passengers to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
However, masks must still be worn on all domestic flights and some international routes, in accordance with each country’s local health mandates.
“From Tuesday 19 July 2022 the Qantas Group will no longer require passengers on international flights operated by the Qantas Group to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19,” the airline confirmed in a statement issued this afternoon.
Qantas has flagged that some countries will still require passengers to be vaccinated to either enter or transit through their airports, “so passengers should check the requirements of the country they are travelling to.”
The airline was the world’s first to introduce a “no jab, no fly” policy in December 2020, when CEO Alan Joyce declared that “once a safe and effective vaccine (against Covid-19) becomes readily available, it will be a requirement for travel on our international services.”
The airline later launched a Qantas Vaccination Rewards promotion in which double-vax’d Australian frequent flyers could claim free Qantas Points, status credits or a $20 flight voucher, and also go into the draw for a year of free domestic and international flights.
Qantas’ declaration follows the Australian government’s decision to end the requirement for all overseas arrivals to be vaccinated as a condition of entry.