Singapore Airlines Group Begins Flights with Fully Vaccinated Crews
Singapore Air, Scoot and SilkAir are “among the first carriers in the world to operate flights with a full complement of vaccinated pilots and cabin crew”
Singapore Airlines has announced that all three of the group’s airlines – Singapore Airlines, Scoot and SilkAir – have begun operating flights with cabin crews and pilots who have all received vaccinations against COVID-19.
The carrier said this makes the group’s airlines “among the first carriers in the world to operate flights with a full complement of vaccinated pilots and cabin crew.”
The first flights operated with fully vaccinated crew members took place on Feb. 11 were Singapore Airlines flight SQ956 from Singapore for Jakarta, Scoot flight TR606 to Bangkok and SilkAir flight MI608, operating between Singapore and Phnom Penh.
The government of Singapore has prioritized the aviation sector in the country’s vaccination exercise, reflecting “the sector’s importance, as well as the SIA Group’s crucial role in Singapore’s economic recovery and the fight against COVID-19.”
Last month, the airline launched a campaign urging all its employees to be vaccinated against the virus, extending beyond pilots and cabin crews to gate agents, baggage handlers and cleaning crews, security screeners, passenger service agents and cargo handlers.
The carrier’s goal is to become the first fully-vaccinated airline in the world. The group added that over 90 per cent of its cabin crew and pilots had so far signed up for the vaccine.
“We are very encouraged by the strong take-up rate for the vaccine from our colleagues,” said Goh Choon Phong, Singapore Airlines’ chief executive officer.
“Vaccinations will be key to the reopening of borders and to enhancing travel confidence, in tandem with robust testing regimes and the wide-ranging safe management measures that are in place on the ground and in the air. They offer greater protection for our people and provide an added layer of assurance to our customers.”
Meanwhile, last week Etihad Airways announced it is the first airline in the world to have all its operating pilots and cabin crew vaccinated.
