International flight crew will complete a health screen, a face to passport check with Australian Border Force and clear customs. They will then be directed to a NSW Health testing station where they will be requested to participate in a COVID-19 test. After completion, NSW Police will allocate them to a quarantine hotel and escort them to their transport to the hotel.
Yes. All international flight crew must have a COVID-19 test on arrival in NSW regardless of vaccination status. This is because vaccinations are not always effective and not all of the Australian community are vaccinated yet.Flight crew who decline to be tested will be required to remain in the quarantine hotel for up to 24 days, and will not be permitted to depart on another flight leaving Australia until they have completed the quarantine period.
No. NSW Health does not accept the results of people tested for COVID-19 in other countries, regardless of the type of test.
It is a NSW Government requirement that all international flight crew be tested for COVID-19 before they are able to complete their quarantine period and depart the quarantine hotel. Flight crew who decline to be tested will be required to remain in the quarantine hotel for up to 24 days, and will not be permitted to depart on another flight leaving Australia until they have completed the quarantine period.
Testing will occur in a private screening station at the airport, after clearing customs and before being allocated to a hotel by NSW Police.
All flight crew will be required to have a nose and throat swab to test for COVID-19 on arrival at the airport (day 0).
NSW Health follows the Communicable Diseases Network Australia National Guidelines, which recommends nose and throat swab as the gold standard for diagnostic testing for COVID-19. The type of laboratory test carried out is a reverse transcriptase – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Crew will be given a short briefing by NSW Health staff before having the test, and the sample collection for the test takes approximately 1 minute. The total amount of time spent at the testing station will vary depending on demand. NSW Health is increasing resources to support processing crew through the testing station as quickly as possible. NSW Health will take samples of all flight crew members before they can progress to NSW Police and their hotel.
NSW Health has increased testing capacity at the airport, including providing additional testing stations and healthcare staff to accommodate crew-testing. NSW Health acknowledges the significant impact of delays to both crew and incoming flights, and endeavours to streamline the health screening and testing processes as much as possible.
Airlines are required to provide crew manifests to NSW Health prior to each flight’s arrival, so that crew can be pre-registered in the pathology system. This will assist in efficient processing and will speed up the processing of aircrew at Sydney Airport. Please send the crew manifest to SLHD-SydAirport-Screening@health.nsw.gov.au for pre-registration, including details of date of birth, gender and email address.
COVID-19 testing is free of charge in NSW, regardless of where it takes place.
NSW Health will contact all crew on day 21 (7 days after leaving quarantine) to ask if you have any symptoms of COVID-19. If you have developed any symptoms since leaving quarantine, you will be asked to get tested for COVID-19.The standard quarantine period is 14 full days if the crew member adheres to the requirements in the current Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order in relation to testing. The quarantine period will last longer if you develop COVID-19 symptoms or decline testing.
Testing will be undertaken at the airport prior to crew proceeding to the hotel and commencing rest. Crew will be provided with information on how to register on an online portal to receive their test result by email, so that their rest time is not disturbed.
Test results will be received by email or are available online for crew members only. Crew will be provided with information on how to register on an online portal. Due to firewall restrictions, online portal access is only available while in Australia. Registration to the portal requires a unique email, and unfortunately a generic email is unsuitable for the registration and distribution of results.
Test results are usually available within 24 hours, however in some circumstances may take up to 72 hours.
The crew member will be tested at the airport prior to proceeding to the hotel. There is no need to wait at the airport for the test result. Crew can access their test result online so that their rest is not disturbed.
Test results will be provided via email. Crew members who test positive will also receive a call from NSW Health to discuss what this means for them and to initiate contact tracing.
Due to patient confidentiality, NSW Health does not routinely provide test results or other health information directly to airlines. Should the airline wish to be provided with a crew member’s test result, they should contact the crew member directly.
If, however, NSW Health is unable to reach a crew member to notify them of a positive result, it may be necessary to notify the airline in order to facilitate contact tracing.
With permission from the crew member, NSW Health will liaise with airlines to plan the crew member’s departure from quarantine.
Yes, crew can depart on their next scheduled flight if their test result is still pending, or if it is negative, as long as they are not showing any symptoms and have not been identified as a close contact.
The crew member will be transferred to NSW Health Special Health Accommodation located in Sydney, or to hospital if they require a higher level of medical care.
If a crew member tests positive, they will be transferred to NSW Health Special Health Accommodation located in Sydney, or to hospital if they require a higher level of medical care. Additional testing may be sought during their stay, and prior to completing quarantine.
They may be allowed to depart on their next flight of duty out of Australia if there has been a determination of an “old infection”. This determination may be possible where a flight crew member:
Under exceptional circumstances flight crew who have tested positive for COVID-19 may be permitted to return overseas where the following conditions are met:
Flight crew who are close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case may be permitted to leave Australia if they meet certain criteria:
The quarantine period lasts for a minimum of 14 full days and up to 24 days after arrival in NSW. However, if a crew member has a COVID-19 test on arrival at the airport (day 0) and does not develop any COVID-19 symptoms, they can depart on another flight leaving Australia before the end of their quarantine period.
Quarantine and testing requirements for flight crew are governed by the current Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order. Self-isolation requirements for persons diagnosed with COVID-19, and their close contacts, are governed by Public Health (COVID-19 Self Isolation) Order. Further information about NSW Public Health Orders is available on the NSW Health website.
Hotel quarantine costs for flight crew will charged on a pro-rata basis to the employer.
There are no penalties for airlines or for individual crew members who test positive, provided that they comply with any NSW Health direction to quarantine, and other requirements outlined in the NSW Public Health Orders.
All cohorts of air crew are considered 'flight crew' under the current Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order and are subject to the same quarantine and testing requirements. Positioning crew are also considered flight crew under the Order.
A person identifying as a positioning crew member must be in the flight manifest or have a letter from their employer or the airline they are flying for. They must also have documentary evidence of the flight, including the date of the flight on which they will depart Australia. If they are unable to meet these requirements, they will be considered as passengers and subject to mandatory quarantine in a government quarantine facility for a minimum of 14 days.
Information about how to ensure a positioning crew member is recognised as flight crew by Australian Border Force is available in the factsheet NSW quarantine information for non resident flight crew.
All cohorts of air crew are considered ‘flight crew’ under the current Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order and are subject to the same quarantine and testing requirements, regardless of whether they crew passengers or cargo flights.
All cohorts of air crew are considered ‘flight crew’ under the current Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order and are subject to the same quarantine and testing requirements. Positioning crew are also considered flight crew under the Order.
Crew with a negative test result will be required to remain in the quarantine hotel until they depart on another flight leaving Australia. If they are not departing on another flight leaving Australia, they must remain in the quarantine hotel until the end of the quarantine period (minimum 14 days).
A class exemption is in place for 'quick turnaround' flights that are transiting through NSW to an overseas destination. Crew and passengers on these flights are not required to be tested on arrival, provided that they do not leave the aircraft in NSW. Passengers are permitted to board these flights in NSW. This is subject to certain conditions that are specified in the exemption.
Otherwise, requests for exemption to testing requirements under the current Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order will need to be considered on a case by case basis. All applications for exemption must be submitted via the Exemptions Service Now portal.
Crew members requiring the use of a continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machine will need to declare this on arrival and will be directed to Special Health Accommodation (SHA) where the machine can be used under special conditions. Nebulisers are not permitted while in hotel quarantine. Please speak to a NSW Health staff member if you need any support during your quarantine period.
A crew member who has tested positive will be permitted to depart on another flight after they have quarantined for the required period of time, as determined by NSW Health, and further testing has confirmed that they are no longer infectious.
In extraordinary circumstances, crew members who test positive may be given an exemption to depart NSW before they have completed quarantine. Any requests of this kind will be assessed by a NSW Health medical review panel on a case by case basis.
