United started offering staff vaccines again at some of its busiest airports this week as the omicron variant continues to spread throughout the US and within its own employee ranks. The Chicago-based airline is administering Covid-19 booster shots at several of its busiest hubs: Newark Liberty International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Won Pat International Airport in Guam, spokeswoman Leslie Scott said. The airline last August established the strictest vaccine requirements of any US carrier, telling staff to get immunized unless they get a religious or medical exemption, or face termination. More than 96% of United’s roughly 67,000 US employees have been vaccinated. The company stopped its airport vaccine program late last summer. “This is another step we are taking to educate our employees on the importance of boosters and make them easily accessible,” said Scott. The company isn’t currently changing its definition of fully vaccinated to include boosters, she said. United’s revival of the airport vaccination program comes as the rapid spread of omicron sidelined airline workers, contributing to 20,000 flight cancellations between Christmas Eve and the first week of January.<br/>
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Greece's largest carrier Aegean Airlines said Saturday it had suspended all flights to Beirut pending the results of an investigation into the cause of damage to one of its planes that flew to the Lebanese capital. Ground crew at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport found external damage to the fuselage of a plane that flew from Athens on Jan. 10, prompting the airline a day later to suspend all flights to and from Beirut, a company statement said. It gave no further details about the damage found on the aircraft's exterior. Lebanon's transport ministry dismissed what it said were comments on social media and in the media that suggested a bullet could be to blame. Lebanese Transport and Public Works Minister Ali Hamie published an email on Twitter, dated Jan. 15, covering a technical assessment of damage found below the cockpit. "After close examination, it was determined that it was not the result of a bullet," the email said. Αegean said it had notified Greek authorities and Beirut airport authorities and expected to give an update on resuming flights to Beirut in the coming weeks.<br/>
Turkey will no longer require unvaccinated individuals to take a PCR test for COVID-19 before using planes, buses or other transportation, or before attending events such as concerts, plays or movies, the state-owned Anadolu Agency said on Saturday. Citing the interior ministry, Anadolu said unvaccinated civil servants, private-sector employees and school personnel will also not be required to take a PCR test. Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi said separately on Twitter that the carrier will not require PCR tests on domestic flights.<br/>
China’s three largest carriers saw a decline in December domestic traffic amid the fast-growing spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the country, though traffic for the full year inched up slightly against 2020’s lower base. The ‘Big Three’ — comprising Air China, China Eastern Airlines, as well as China Southern Airlines — reported decreases in domestic passengers carried against the same period in 2020. However, they carried more passengers in December than in November. Air China carried 4.2m domestic passengers during the month, more than 37% lower year on year. Against November, it represented a 39% jump. Domestic traffic fell 38% year on year, while capacity decreased nearly 34%. Compared to November, Air China’s domestic traffic levels rose 40%, with capacity increasing 32%. Story has other carrier results.<br/>
People leaving the Auckland region no longer need to provide proof they are vaccinated or present a negative Covid-19 test to cross the border. The requirement, which came into effect in mid-December when Auckland’s hard border lifted, was officially removed at 11.59pm on January 16, according to a Civil Aviation Authority notification. While the Government’s requirements for those crossing the Auckland border are no longer in place, transport operators are still enforcing their own requirements to prevent the spread of Covid-19. All domestic Air New Zealand passengers aged over 12 years and three months are still required to show proof of vaccine or a negative test taken within 72 hours of departure. Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty has said this requirement for domestic travel will remain in place until at least March 31, at which point it will be reviewed.<br/>