Air New Zealand to introduce 'no jab, no fly' for international travellers

Air New Zealand is asking customers to get ready for international travel by getting vaccinated. From 1 February 2022, the airline will require customers travelling anywhere on its international network to be fully vaccinated.
3 October 2021

"We're getting ready to reconnect with the world and letting customers know what they need to do to be ready to take off when we can," says Air New Zealand's Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran.

"Being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the new reality of international travel –many of the destinations Kiwis want to visit are already closed to unvaccinated visitors. The quicker we get vaccinated, the sooner we can fly Kiwis to places like New York, Vancouver and Narita.

"We've been hearing from both customers and employees that this measure is important to them. It came through loud and clear in our recent consultation process with employees and 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."

These requirements will sit alongside the measures the airline already has to keep New Zealand safe.

"It's not just customers who will be required to be vaccinated – it's everyone on board an Air New Zealand aircraft travelling internationally, adding to the health and safety measures we already have in place. Another tool in our toolbox.

"As with anything, there will be some that disagree. However, 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.

"To take some of the friction out of the travel experience and to help our customers know exactly what they need to travel before even getting to the airport, we're continuing to work on rolling out the International Air Transport Associations (IATA) Travel Pass app."

The airline continues to work closely with the Government and Airport groups on the Reconnecting New Zealanders plan.

Air New Zealand's vaccination requirement will apply to all passengers aged 18 and older arriving or departing Aotearoa on an Air New Zealand aircraft. Customers who are not vaccinated will be required to present proof that vaccination was not a viable option for them for medical reasons.

IATA Travel Pass

Using Timatic, the IATA Travel Pass will check customers' health information against flight details to ensure they are meeting entry requirements for that destination, and the airline.

The app is based on decentralized technology which means there is no central database holding passenger information. Passengers have complete discretion as to whether they share their data or not and they can delete their data at any time on the app, without fear of this being stored.

Ends

Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.

Email: media@airnz.co.nz  │  Twitter: @AirNZMedia

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 19,000 daily flights to more than 1,250 airports in 195 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partner, Juneyao Airlines.

For more information please visit Air New Zealand and Star Alliance and/or follow Star Alliance on FacebookTwitter,  YoutubeLinkedIn or Instagram.

Star Alliance Press Office: Tel: +49 69 96375 183 or email: mediarelations@staralliance.com