By 15 November, all frontline workers, such as cabin crew, pilots and airport workers, will need to be vaccinated. All other employees will have until 31 March next year.

The mandate applies to all of Qantas’ staff and its budget carrier Jetstar.

The airline said there will be "exemptions" for workers who are unable to be vaccinated for "documented medical reasons".

Alan Joyce, Qantas Group chief executive, said vaccination is a requirement "for all our aviation and office workers" but those with medical exemptions will be accommodated with measures including social distancing, masks and testing.

"One crew member can fly into multiple cities and come into contact with thousands of people in a single day," he added.

"Making sure they are vaccinated given the potential of this virus to spread is so important and I think it’s the kind of safety leadership people would expect from us.

"We provide an essential service, so this will help guard against the disruptions that can be caused by just one positive Covid case shutting down a freight facility or airport terminal."

The policy was announced after Qantas surveyed 12,000 employees which found that 89% had already been vaccinated or planned to be and 75% of staff said they thought vaccines should be a requirement.

Around 4% of the airline’s staff are "unwilling or unable" to get vaccinated.

A separate survey of 1,000 Qantas customers found that 92% expected crew to be fully vaccinated.