Vaccination certificates could become the safe pass for travel: Qatar Airways GCEO

Vaccination certificates could become the safe pass for travel: Qatar Airways GCEO

Qatar Airways GCEO Akbar Al Baker said in comment to the media that vaccination certificates could be the new norm that a lot of countries would require that you be vaccinated before you enter the countries.

“I think that this will be the new norm that everybody will have to produce a vaccination certificate to board an aeroplane - and not only to board an aeroplane, a lot of countries would require that you be vaccinated before you come to the countries. I think it will be a joint ICAO, IATA and WHO project, to introduce a safe pass for people whose vaccination certificates will be recognised internationally,” Al Baker told BBC News.

H.E. Mr. Al Baker added: “I think that it will not only be a part for IATA to play, I think it will be a joint ICAO, IATA and WHO project, to introduce a safe pass for people whose vaccination certificates would be recognised internationally.” pic.twitter.com/RaaxBGseXo

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) January 18, 2021

Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said air travel was unlikely to return to 2019 levels for the foreseeable future until and unless science answers all questions that people have about COVID-19 or until the effect of the vaccination if fully understood.

Speaking to BBC World, Baker said needing a vaccination certificate to fly would be the new norm. He said countries would require travellers to show proof that they have been vaccinated before entering their territories.    

“I think it will be a joint ICAO, IATA and WHO project, to introduce a safe pass for people whose vaccination certificates would be recognised internationally,” Baker said.

“Nothing is more costly than to look at the interest of our passengers and our crew, to protect them from this pandemic. We invest to look after them and at the same time to give them the confidence that they can travel on QatarAirways,” he said.

#QatarAirways GCEO, H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker, added: “Until and unless science proves all these questions that people have about the disease or the effect of the vaccination, I don’t think that travel will come back to 2019 levels for the foreseeable future.” pic.twitter.com/h0SGBps9Mx

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) January 18, 2021

Talking about Qatar Airways plans beyond the pandemic, the GCEO said the airline would not go back on its orders of new planes from Boeing and Airbus.

“We will continue to take every single aircraft that we have ordered from both the manufacturers, because in Qatar Airways, we are very prudent in the way we place our aircraft orders and our requirements."