2022 01 21 Response to 22OIR149 signed.pdf

20 January 2022

Chuck Schooner

By email: [FYI request #18147 email]

Tēnā koe Chuck

Official Information Act Request

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 11 January
2022. You requested (numbering added):
“1) Are you able to confirm if the Civil Aviation Authority has completed any due diligence
surrounding the licensing of pilots fol owing the mass rol  out of the Experimental Gene
Therapy (Covid-19) vaccine.
2) Are you able to provide me with any and all communications/correspondence that the Civil
Aviation Authority has completed in assessing the safety of the experimental gene therapy and
any agencies be it the Ministry of Health, Office of the Prime Minister of any agencies and the
dates associated.
3) Have Air New Zealand mandated the gene therapy for their pilots
4) What proportion of Air New Zealand pilots have been fully vaccinated
5) Are you able to confirm as the science evolves in relation to the experimental gene therapy
that the Civil Aviation Authority will continue to monitor pilots and their ability to meet safety
standards associated with the Medical Certificate Application Form.
6) Recently the attached Pfizer document has been released -  https://phmpt.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/11/5.3.6-postmarketing-experience.pdf Is the Civil Aviation Authority
in receipt of this? If not you are now.
7) Based on the ten pages of serious side effects that are listed in this document would a pilot
be able to pass a medical because the gene therapy is shown to list the following as serious
side effects
- Embolism & thrombosis
- Cardiac
- Heart attack
- Seizures
- Neurological and more
8) Al  of these side effects occurred in the short term - so to me that would mean that all of
these sudden events could occur at anytime and especially given the booster rol  out.
9) Given this now known information this would mean any and all pilots would not be able to
pass a medical would it not because they are now suddenly susceptible to these side effects at
anytime?
10) I would note there is currently a phenomenon of high level athletes dropping dead from
sudden events so this could happen to pilots with a full plane of people.  Please note this also
Level 15, 55 Featherston Street, Wel ington 6011 – PO Box 3555, Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
    Tel: +64 4 560 9400, Fax: +64 4 569 2024, Email: [email address], Web: www.caa.govt.nz

serves as a warning when the inevitable occurs which if you do your research plane crashes
have become a lot more common in the USA a highly vaccinated country.
11) Who would be liable if an Air New Zealand plane with a load of passengers came down?
The government or Civil Aviation Authority for licensing the pilot now that they are aware of
this information.”

I refer to your specific questions below.

1)  Are you able to confirm if the Civil Aviation Authority has completed any due diligence
surrounding the licensing of pilots fol owing the mass rol  out of the Experimental Gene
Therapy (Covid-19) vaccine

2)  Are you able to provide me with any and all communications/correspondence that the Civil
Aviation Authority has completed in assessing the safety of the experimental gene therapy
and any agencies be it the Ministry of Health, Office of the Prime Minister of any agencies
and the dates associated.

6)  Recently the attached Pfizer document has been released -  https://phmpt.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/11/5.3.6-postmarketing-experience.pdf
Is the Civil Aviation Authority in receipt of this? If not you are now.

No specific correspondence or communications have been entered between the Civil Aviation
Authority  and  any  other  government  agency  regarding  safety  assessments  of  Medsafe
approved vaccines. The Authority has and will continue to rely on the expert assessments of
the Ministry of Health and Medsafe regarding the safety of approved COVID-19 vaccines. As
such, this element of your request is refused in accordance with s 18(e) of the Act as the
information you have requested does not exist.

Questions 3) and 4) refer to information which is held by Air New Zealand and not the Civil
Aviation Authority. Air New Zealand is not subject to the Act. Therefore, I am refusing this
element of your request in accordance with s 18(g) of the Act as the information is not held
by  the  Authority  and  I  have  no  grounds  to  believe  this  information  is  held  by  any  other
department or agency. You may wish to contact Air New Zealand for this information.

5) Are you able to confirm as the science evolves in relation to the experimental gene therapy
that the Civil Aviation Authority will continue to monitor pilots and their ability to meet safety
standards associated with the Medical Certificate Application Form.

As  mentioned  previously,  the  Authority  has  and  wil   continue  to  rely  on  the  expert
assessments of the Ministry of Health and Medsafe regarding the safety of approved COVID-
19 vaccines.

Level 15, 55 Featherston Street, Wel ington 6011 – PO Box 3555, Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
    Tel: +64 4 560 9400, Fax: +64 4 569 2024, Email: [email address], Web: www.caa.govt.nz

7) Based on the ten pages of serious side effects that are listed in this document would a pilot
be able to pass a medical because the gene therapy is shown to list the following as serious
side effects
- Embolism & thrombosis
- Cardiac
- Heart attack
- Seizures
- Neurological and more

9) Given this now known information this would mean any and all pilots would not be able to
pass a medical would it not because they are now suddenly susceptible to these side effects at
anytime?

In accordance with s 27C of the Civil Aviation Act 1990, any changes in medical condition of a
licence holder should be notified to the Director as soon as practicable, and licence holders
may not exercise the privileges to which the medical certificate relates.

I note that questions 8) and 10) are not requests for ‘official information’ as set out in section
2 of the Act. Therefore, I have decided not to respond to these parts of your request.

11) Who would be liable if an Air New Zealand plane with a load of passengers came down?
The government or Civil Aviation Authority for licensing the pilot now that they are aware of
this information
As previously mentioned, it is the individual licence holder’s responsibility, in accordance with
s 27C of the Civil Aviation Act 1990 to notify any changes in medical condition to the Director
as soon as practicable, and not exercise the privileges to which the medical certificate relates.

The Authority wil continuously monitor information regarding the vaccines from the Ministry
of Health and adapt the guidance when required. Our website is regularly updated to reflect
any changes. https://www.aviation.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19/

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.

Yours Sincerely

David Harrison
Deputy Chief Executive Aviation Safety
Level 15, 55 Featherston Street, Wel ington 6011 – PO Box 3555, Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 560 9400, Fax: +64 4 569 2024, Email: [email address], Web: www.caa.govt.nz