The crew on a Government-chartered Air New Zealand flight to evacuate NZ citizens from virus-stricken Wuhan volunteered for the job, according to union E tū.
The union released a statement today saying it’s working to secure assurances about the safety of up to 10 volunteer cabin crew and any ground crew operating the Air New Zealand evacuation flight from Wuhan, China.
The city is the epicentre of the virus that has killed at least 213 people in China, with new figures from the Chinese government stating there are over 100,000 people "under medical observation" there.
The Prime Minister said the declaration by WHO puts an emphasis “on making sure we're reaching out to other parts of the world”. (Source: Other)
E tū head of aviation, Savage, says so far around 40 crew members have volunteered for the flight that will collect New Zealanders in Wuhan and return them home.
He says the union understands the flight will travel to Wuhan "on Sunday or Monday" and the Boeing 777-200 aircraft will fly to Hong Kong the day before it goes on to Wuhan so the crew can rest.
“There’s no shortage of volunteers, but they are asking questions about the safety protocols for the flight and they won’t be flying until they’re satisfied about that,” says Savage.
“Crew need to know that they’re safe, what their risk of infection is as well as the risk of passing something on when they get back. That’s the biggest concern they have, that they could pick it up and not know it and pass it on to colleagues or friends and family.
“We may sign a special agreement for the flight to clarify what to expect and what the conditions are.”
Savage says the E tū union has heard of anxieties within the aviation industry here.
“As the virus continues to spread, there are anxieties among airport workers. We’re hearing from ground crew members at Menzies Aviation who are wary of touching baggage from China in case it puts them at risk, so there’s misinformation out there about the dangers.
“Good information is the best defence against fear and anxiety. Airlines like Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia have so far been forthcoming with information and we expect that will continue.”
On Tuesday, 53 New Zealanders had registered on SafeTravel as being in Wuhan City and 20 contacted MFAT seeking consular assistance.
The news comes as Air New Zealand announced it's temporarily reducing its services to Shanghai amid the coronavirus outbreak as the airline prepares for a decline in travellers taking the route.
Air New Zealand senior manager for customer care and communications Doug Grant said the airline was closely monitoring the situation and was taking steps to reduce the impact to customers.
"While our Shanghai services are at capacity in the coming weeks, with new group travel restrictions in place we expect demand may ease in the short-term," he said.
"To minimise disruption to those currently booked to travel, the revised schedule will come into effect mid-February. We thank customers in advance for their understanding."
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