Stricter air crew rules likely
Air New Zealand may no longer be allowed to use cabin crew who have crewed flights to Australia to also crew domestic flights within New Zealand, directorgeneral of health Ashley Bloomfield says.
The possible policy change was signalled after a flight attendant approached Stuff to raise concerns about the practice.
An Air NZ spokeswoman confirmed on Friday that there would be ‘‘an incredibly limited number of A320 and 787 crew who may have been rostered on to fly both domestic and international routes throughout the alert levels’’.
A Health Ministry spokesman initially defended the practice, describing Australia as a ‘‘low risk’’ country. But Bloomfield said the ministry had been talking to the airline over the past 48 hours ‘‘around Australia, because what is clear is people are coming from high risk areas, converging in Australia and then coming across [to New Zealand]’’.
‘‘We have had several cases now on those flights.
‘‘One of the measures could be to make sure those crew are solely on international routes, not also flying domestic routes,’’ he said.
Another option was for transTasman cabin crew to be required to follow the same protocols as crew flying to and from Los Angeles, which would mean they would need to selfisolate for 48 hours and take a Covid test on their return. Bloomfield said the ministry was expecting to ‘‘confirm some further arrangements’’ with the airline.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that Health Minister David Clark would meet with Air New Zealand on Monday evening ‘‘to reinforce just how important it is that airline crew uphold ... expectations’’.
Michael Baker, who is an epidemiologist at Otago University’s public health department in Wellington, has queried whether the controls on air crew are sufficient. ‘‘The basic standard is noone should be coming into New Zealand who hasn’t undergone 14 days of quarantine.
‘‘If any groups want to deviate from that they should have to make a very convincing case that what they are doing is equivalent,’’ he said.
But Bloomfield indicated Baker’s suggestion that Air New Zealand cabin crew could perhaps self-isolate at airport bases in New Zealand while they were rostered on to month-long shifts for international flights was unlikely.