Summer Woolley
Published: 15/09/2021Updated: Wednesday, 15 September 2021 4:04 PM AEST
Qantas is preparing for international travel to recommence in a matter of months for the first time in almost two years.
The national carrier is now accepting bookings on services to London, Vancouver and Singapore from December 18, and to destinations including Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hawaii and Fiji in the days following.
Most services depart from Melbourne and Sydney, with some from Brisbane.
Seats remain available for most flights, however, services will only operate on the condition the ban on overseas travel is lifted as planned on December 17.
Qantas is preparing for the restart of international travel. File. Credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the airline expected to resume flights to some low-risk destinations with high vaccination rates from mid-December. These include Singapore, Japan, the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand.
Flights to cities with lower vaccination rates - such as Bali, Jakarta, Manila and Johannesburg - would restart closer to April 2022.
Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce. Credit: Dean Lewins/AAP“It’s obviously up to government exactly how and when our international borders re-open, but with Australia on track to meet the 80 per cent trigger agreed by National Cabinet by the end of the year, we need to plan ahead for what is a complex restart process,” he said in August.
“We can adjust our plans if the circumstances change, which we’ve already had to do several times during this pandemic.”
The airline has been clear that it would require passengers to be fully vaccinated before boarding an international flight. The government is also yet to decide on the quarantine requirements for travellers visiting or returning to Australia.
Fiji reopens
Fiji Airways is among several other airlines that have begun scheduling commercial flights on Australian routes, with services to Nadi International Airport available from as early as mid-November.
The island nation had originally intended to reopen its borders to tourists in December, but Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill says that date could be moved forward as the country’s vaccination program continues.
Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport Faiyaz Koya in September said: “We are collectively working towards a November reopening.”
Fiji Airways is also preparing for the restart of international travel. File. Credit: Getty ImagesHill said travellers permitted to enter the country will need to be fully vaccinated, show evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test and be from a “green list” nation, although the criteria for the green list has not yet been spelled out.
About 40 per cent of Fiji’s gross national product (GNP) comes from the tourism industry.
- with AAP and CNN
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