AirAsia intensifies vaccination campaign against COVID-19
Allstars take booster shots to add extra level of protection to AirAsia Philippines flights
AirAsia Philippines Chief Executive Officer Ricky Isla (center) leads a batch of AirAsia Allstars in receiving their booster jab at the NAIA Terminal 4 vaccination site
Manila, 28 December 2021 – AirAsia Philippines, in its bid to add an extra level of protection for its crew and guests, intensifies its vaccination campaign for all its employees. With all of its employees being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, AirAsia Philippines now zeroes in on the booster shots for the Allstars. As of today, 20 percent of AirAsia employees have been inoculated with the booster shot, a number the low-cost airline company targets to significantly grow in the next few weeks.
The efforts to ramp up the administration of booster shots are timely as the Department of Health shortens the interval period from the second dose to just three months. This is also in line with the country’s intensified program as it tries to maintain its low-risk status notwithstanding the threat from any emerging COVID-19variant.
CEO Ricky Isla recently led the AirAsia Philippines’ Allstars – majority of whom were pilots, cabin crew and ground crew – in taking their COVID-19 booster shots at the NAIA Terminal 4 vaccination hub in Pasay City.
AirAsia Philippines Spokesperson Steve Dailisan said, “Taking the booster shot is our shared responsibility to ensure that all guest-interactions at the airport and onboard our flights have an added layer of protection against any emerging variant. We will continue to strengthen our multi-layered approaches to health and safety, and instill confidence amongst our guests throughout the peak end of year holiday season and into 2022.”
AirAsia Philippines is exhausting efforts to ensure employees get their booster shots as soon as possible – from slot verification and confirmation, to transport assistance to and from the vaccination site. Safety remains the top priority for the world's best low-cost airline as it continues to observe a 15-20% increase in bookings for near term travel within 30-60 days. Load factor for the month of December was registered at 91% while January is currently at 45%. Despite the recent typhoon, Bohol (Panglao) and Caticlan (Boracay) still remain as the most popular destinations.
“We are now seeing an influx of passengers from Metro Manila to the different provinces especially with the New Year just around the corner. For this reason, our ground and flight crew remain on standby to provide the very best service and guest experience including a focus on making sure that all our flights arrive on time. And along with that promise is the assurance that when you fly with AirAsia, your health and safety are always our utmost priority,” Dailisan added.
The world’s best low-cost airline implements stringent multi-layered safety protocols and measures. All AirAsia Airbus A320 aircraft are equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which kill up to 99.9 percent of viruses including COVID-19. Additionally, the entire AirAsia ground and flying crew are equipped with the necessary safety and protection gear. A deep and thorough cleaning and sanitation is also undertaken after each flight.
