Etihad Airways Group CEO starts 2021 with a shot in the arm

Covid-19 vaccines have officially entered the market and it’s not just political leaders encouraging people to get vaccinated but CEOs also who are leading the way. On Monday, Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, received his first dose of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at the Etihad Airways Medical Centre.

“As we say goodbye to 2020, I wanted to start the new year by demonstrating my own confidence in Abu Dhabi’s National Vaccination Programme. While it offers the obvious benefit of being safeguarded against COVID-19, this is my way of contributing to a safer workplace and safer Abu Dhabi community,” said the group CEO in a statement.

“From an aviation perspective, as borders continue to open up, we hope that through increased vaccination rates, people will feel more confident travelling not only for business and leisure but more importantly, to reconnect with their loved ones around the world,” he added.


The company also announced that the vaccine would be available for free to all Etihad employees and their dependants (over 18 years old).

Gulf countries UAE and Bahrain, where third-phase trials of the Sinopharm vaccine were carried out, have both officially registered the vaccine for public use after it was previously approved for emergency use for frontline health workers. Sinopharm, which uses an inactive form of the novel coronavirus, is administered in two doses, 21 days apart, according to the Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA).