Australia’s flagship airline, Qantas aims to resume int’l flights

Australia’s flagship airline Qantas has outlined a gradual resumption of international flights from December this year.

The Qantas Group’s plans were linked to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine roll-out in Australia and key overseas markets, the airline said in a statement released on Thursday.

“Plans remain dependent on government decisions in the coming months, including future quarantine requirements,’’ the airline said.

On current projections, Australia was expected to reach a national vaccination threshold of 80 per cent in December 2021, leading to the gradual reopening of international borders.

Its plans were set to initially focus on what it termed “destinations with high vaccination rates’’ including in North America, Britain, Singapore, and Japan.

Flights to destinations that still have low vaccine rates and high levels of COVID-19 including Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, and Johannesburg were not expected to resume until April 2022.

“The prospect of flying overseas might feel a long way off, especially with New South Wales and Victoria in lockdown, but the current pace of the vaccine rollout means we should have a lot more freedom in a few months’ time,’’ Qantas Group head Alan Joyce asserted.

Australia’s international borders have been closed to all but residents and citizens with a few exceptions since March 2020.

Qantas announced last week that it would require all frontline employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within three months.

The Qantas Group, which owns Qantas and budget airline Jetstar, said that cabin crew, pilots, and airport workers would need to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15.

The remainder of its employees would have until March 31, 2022 to be fully jabbed.