Qantas will begin flying international routes out of Australia from December 18, with its first flights going to North America, the UK and Singapore. CEO, Alan Joyce has made it clear the airline will carry only vaccinated passengers on international flights. The route to Johannesburg is likely to remain dormant until at least April 2022.
The national ban on outward-bound travel from Australia is set to end on December 17 after which Australians can finally make their long-awaited trips to London, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Singapore. But, at present, it is unknown if they will have to isolate or test on their return.
The Tokyo and Fiji routes recommence on December 19, and Hawaii on December 20.
Qantas has already announced its plan to resume overseas flights once Australia has achieved the national plan’s target of 80% of over-16s fully vaccinated, which should trigger the reopening of borders.
The airline said in August that flights to cities in Asia and southern Africa with low vaccination rates and high Covid-19 case numbers would not restart until at least April 2022. Aside from Johannesburg, those destinations are most likely to include Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket and Ho Chi Minh City.
Plans are afoot to reopen flights between Australia and New Zealand from mid-December 2021.
Joyce has informed all Qantas staff (on the ground and in the air) that they must be vaccinated, and has taken an uncompromising view on anti-vax personnel. Qantas and Jetstar cabin crew, pilots and airport workers have to be fully vaccinated by November 15, and other employees by March 31, 2022. He is on record saying that staff who decide against Covid-19 vaccination will make a conscious choice that “aviation is not the area for them”.
“We will have limited redeployment opportunities, given the organisation has significantly shrunk in the last year due to Covid-19,” he said.
The Australian federal government has green-lighted a plan for Covid vaccine passports to be rolled out in October, as a key stage in the reopening of borders.
- Travel News
