Yesterday, Kuwaiti airline Jazeera Airways announced that all of its pilots have now been

vaccinated against COVID-19. The airline adds that all of its cabin crew are due to be vaccinated by April 12th. Jazeera Airways joins other carriers, such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, in promoting the progress made with vaccinating employees.

"The airline is committed to ensuring the maximum protection for all those flying in Jazeera aircraft. Fully vaccinated crews together with pre-flight testing and strict hygienic regulations for cabins offers the passengers peace of mind when flying with the airline." - Jazeera Airways statement

Maximum protection for travelers

Inoculation of Jazeera pilots was performed by Kuwait’s Ministry of Health at the Kuwait Vaccination Center. The airline is continuing with vaccinations, rolling this out to include all employees working in the airline’s operations.

Marwan Boodai, Chairman of Jazeera Airways, is thankful to Kuwait's Ministry of Health for its efforts in expediting the vaccination process- specifically when it comes to service companies that have frequent and direct contact with customers. Highlighting the pursuit of a safe work environment for employees, Boodai adds,

"Our crew are our frontline staff and it is important they are protected from the virus...Our airline is fully prepared for flights to resume normal service out of Kuwait International Airport in the near future”.

Jazeera Airways flight crew posing outside the Kuwait Vaccination Center. Photo: Jazeera Airways

Pandemic achievements

Over the course of 2020, as the global health crisis unfolded rapidly, Jazeera Airways continued flying. However, during the worst portion of the crisis, the airline's regularly scheduled passenger flights were replaced by special repatriation flights. This was soon followed by special cargo services. Here is a list of the airline's achievements over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic thus far:

  • Operated over 60 flights bringing home over 6,800 Kuwaiti citizens from around the world.
  • Continued to serve business without interruption by operating full-cargo flights with a capacity of up to 15 tons per aircraft to bring in essential supplies to Kuwait.
  • Converted its Park & Fly facility in record time into the first drive-through COVID-19 center in Kuwait for use by the Ministry of Health.
  • A second drive-through testing facility has also been constructed by the Jazeera Airways team at the Jaber Al-Ahmad national stadium.
  • Operated flights scheduled under the directive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairsby request from local embassies to fly expatriates traveling out of Kuwait.
  • Offered 50,000 free round-trip tickets to frontline heroes fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Kuwait. The total value of these tickets is estimated at KD5 million ($16.56 million).
While seating wasn't removed like other jets in other airlines, Jazeera Airways made use of its passenger deck to accommodate extra cargo. Photo: Jazeera Airways

The drive to vaccinate crew

Jazeera Airways isn't the only airline to promote the vaccination of its crew. Tomorrow, Emirates is operating a special scenic flight to celebrate the UAE’s vaccination program success while highlighting its own progress in vaccinating its employees.

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Meanwhile, on April 6th, Qatar Airways operated the world’s first flight in which all crew and passengers were vaccinated against COVID-19. This is in addition to Israir already operating "vaccine and antibody-only" domestic flights.

At the end of March, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is joined a number of other UN agencies in calling for priority vaccinations for aircrew. It argued that vaccinating this sector of society will ensure the optimal operation of civil aviation networks and the global transport of essential shipments.