Qatar Airways operated the World’s First Fully Vaccinated Flight on 6th April 2021, just few days before the Emirates EK2021 fully vaccinated Flight. The decision to operate the flight was shaped by the Group CEO, wanting to put Qatar Airways in the headlines. Unlike Emirates, it was an invite flight only for staff, travel partners and media. Let’s take a look at Qatar Airways flight QR6421 from Doha to Doha.
I had the opportunity to meet with the Qatar Airways Group CEO, H.E. Akbar Al Baker, and we spoke about the current challenges in aviation, how his airline is doing things differently to all the others. He also spoke about the future of the A380 and the Middle East relations.
During the flight I interviewed the group medical doctor, journalists and other travellers on the flight, to talk about their feelings regarding the flight. The flight itself was more or less the usual Qatar Airways standard. The flight is a statement of how aviation is responding to the COVID crisis. After more than a year, we are now finding alternative ways to return to the sky safely.