All of Etihad’s crew vaccinated with coronavirus vaccine to help curb COVID-19 spead
11 November 2021: Etihad has achieved a milestone in vaccinating all of its crew members with COVID-19 vaccine and becoming the first airline in the world to achieve this. All of Etihad’s operating pilots and cabin crew are vaccinated to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and give passengers peace of mind. Etihad was recently awarded Diamond status for ensuring highest standards of cleanliness and sanitization for its APEXHealthSafety.
Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We proactively made the vaccine available to all our employees to not only help combat the effects of COVID-19 but to make travellers feel confident and reassured the next time they fly with us. We are the only airline in the world to make COVID-19 testing mandatory for every passenger and crew member before every flight and now, we’re the first airline in the world with 100% vaccinated crew on board.
Etihad formally launched the ‘Protected Together’ employee vaccination initiative last month to help staff take proactive steps to protect themselves against COVID-19.
“I chose very early on to be vaccinated to demonstrate my own support of the national vaccination programme and to encourage everyone at Etihad who was eligible for the vaccine, to receive it as soon as possible. I would like to thank the entire Etihad family for everything they have done to help us reach this milestone – I am truly humbled.” Tony added.
Right from the start Etihad took significant steps to ensure that their employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine. They were one of the first employers to secure place for their frontline staff including pilots and cabin crew in Abu Dhabi’s vaccination program.
Dr. Nadia Bastaki, Vice President Medical Services and CSR, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Following the national vaccination programme, we worked tirelessly to become an approved COVID-19 vaccination clinic to support our staff, and their dependants, be able to easily access the vaccine. Since December 2020, we have been offering in-house vaccination appointments to our employees and their loved ones to ensure we are focused on our employee’s wellbeing.”
Following the UAE Government’s target to vaccinate half of the UAE population by the end of March 2021, Etihad is ahead of schedule with over 75 per cent of its entire workforce already having received at least one dose of the vaccine. With even more activity still planned as part of the Protected Together initiative, this figure will continue to grow as more employees step forward and choose to vaccinate.
