Qatar Airways operates world's first fully COVID-19 vaccinated flight

Qatar Airways is operating the world's first fully COVID-19 vaccinated flight. QR6421 departed Hamad International Airport (HIA) at 11:45 AM local time on April 6 carrying only vaccinated crew and passengers on board, with passengers also to be served by the fully vaccinated staff at check-in. The special flight, which will return to Doha at 14:45, showcases all the measures the airline has put in place to ensure the highest standards of safety and hygiene on board, including its latest innovation, the world’s first ‘Zero-Touch’ in-flight entertainment technology. The special service is being operated by the airline’s most technologically advanced and sustainable aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000, with the flight also fully carbon offset in line with the carrier’s environmental responsibilities. https://twitter.com/i/status/1379355053811712001 Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker (below) said: “Today’s special flight demonstrates the next stage in the recovery of international travel is not far away. We are proud to continue leading the industry by operating the first flight with a fully vaccinated crew and passengers and providing a beacon of hope for the future of international aviation. With aviation being a critical economic driver both globally and here in the State of Qatar, we are thankful for the support we have received from our government and local health authorities to vaccinate our staff, with over 1,000 vaccinations being administered per day." “It is in Qatar Airways DNA to be at the forefront, setting the highest standards of safety and customer service. When the pandemic hit its peak in early April, our airline continued flying to help repatriate millions of stranded passengers and transport essential medical supplies, while also implementing the latest innovations in biosafety and hygiene. As the vaccine rollout begins to gather pace worldwide, Qatar Airways remains committed to being the airline passengers and travel partners can rely on, operating one of the largest global networks to provide the connectivity needed to reunite families and friends and support global trade." https://twitter.com/i/status/1379340761670488065 Qatar Airways Cargo has also played a major role in maintaining a reliable schedule across our network of destinations. Since the onset of the pandemic, Qatar Airways has helped transport more than 500,000 tonnes of medical supplies and delivered close to 20,000,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 20 countries.” Qatar Airways has become the first global airline in the world to achieve the 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by the international air transport rating organization, Skytrax. This follows its seven-star COVID-19 rating using slightly different criteria from Airlineratings.com. The airline's hub, HIA, has also become the first and only airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating. Qatar Airways is also the first airline in the Middle East to begin trials of the innovative new IATA Travel Pass ‘Digital Passport’ mobile app. IATA Travel Pass ensures passengers receive up-to-date information on COVID-19 health regulations at their destination country, as well as complying with strict global data privacy regulations to enable the sharing of COVID-19 test results with airlines to verify they are eligible to undertake their journey. https://twitter.com/i/status/1379333684537520128