Covid-19: Singapore Airlines looks to become world's first fully-vaccinated carrier
More than 5,200 Singapore Airlines employees have signed up to be vaccinated since staff started to be inoculated last week
Team Plane Vanilla
Jan 21, 2021
1112
0
While many countries in the world have begun their respective Covid-19 vaccination programmes, it's time for workplaces to initiate immunisation drives for their employees. Singapore Airlines, looking at the increasing air traffic, has decided to immunise its staff so that they remain safe from any danger of contracting the deadly disease.
Earlier this week, Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Phong Choon also encouraged employees to receive Covid-19 shots.
The airline seeks to immunise all its employees within two months, according to a simleflying.com report.
The move, which will include Singapore's 37,000 frontline aviation and maritime staff, is seen as key to reopening the borders of the island state, which is preparing to host events such as the World Economic Forum's annual meeting and the Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in a few months' time. It would also help in reestablishing the Changi Airport as a major international aviation hub.
"SIA (Singapore Airlines) can be the first vaccinated international airline of the world. Try to get that done," Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung told aviation workers at a vaccination drive at the airport.
More than 5,200 SIA employees have signed up to be vaccinated since staff started to be inoculated last week, according to a memo sent to staff by CEO Goh.
Also read: Emirates carries first batch of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Dubai
An SIA spokesman said that represented about 50% of those eligible for the vaccine, which is being offered for free to residents by the government on a voluntary basis.
"Vaccinations are widely expected to be the game-changer in facilitating the opening of borders once again," Goh said.
Among airlines in other parts of the world, Southwest Airlines of the US has announced plans to provide the Covid-19 vaccine for free to its employees. American Airlines, on the other hand, has asked its pilots to see if they can get vaccinated on their days off, while the airline prepares a broader voluntary vaccination programme for its staff. The Dubai-based Emirates has started offering the Pfizer BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines to its staff.
Comments (0)