Qantas Brings Forward International Flights as Sydney Set to Reopen

Australia’s large hose Qantas volition bring guardant a bid of planetary flights from Sydney to Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Johannesburg, and Fiji.

Qantas said connected Friday that the changes would alteration the hose to bring 11,000 of its employees antecedently stood down backmost to enactment successful December—including astir 5,000 employees linked to home flying and 6,000 linked to planetary flying.

This was not expected until June 2022.

The hose made COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for each staff successful August.

Flights from Sydney to Singapore volition beryllium brought guardant to Nov. 23, (four weeks earlier); flights from Sydney to Fiji volition beryllium brought guardant from Dec. 19 to Dec. 7; flights from Sydney to Johannesburg, South Africa, volition beryllium brought guardant from March to Jan. 5; flights from Sydney to Bangkok volition beryllium brought guardant to Jan. 14; flights betwixt Sydney and Phuket, Thailand, volition beryllium brought guardant to Jan. 12.

Previously, Qantas has moved guardant flights from Sydney to New York and London to Nov. 1.

The hose volition besides motorboat a caller way to the Indian capital, New Delhi, connected Dec. 6, the archetypal clip Qantas planes person flown to the metropolis successful astir a decade.

“Australians rolling up their sleeves means our planes and our radical are getting backmost to enactment overmuch earlier than we expected,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce is seen during a Business Council of Australia meal successful the Mural Hall astatine Parliament House successful Canberra, Australia, connected March 17, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

“We cognize that Australians are keen to get overseas and spot friends and household oregon person a long-awaited holiday, truthful bringing guardant the restart of flights to these fashionable planetary destinations volition springiness customers adjacent much options to question this summer.”

Joyce attributed the restart of planetary flights up of clip to a precocious vaccination complaint and the removal of quarantine.

“The determination by the NSW Government to articulation galore cities from astir the satellite by removing quarantine for afloat vaccinated travellers means we’re capable to adhd these flights from Sydney overmuch earlier than we would person otherwise,” helium said.

“We anticipation that arsenic vaccination rates successful different states and territories increase, we’ll beryllium capable to restart much planetary flights retired of their superior cities. In the meantime, Sydney is our gateway to the remainder of the world.”

The archetypal flights are constricted to Australian citizens, imperishable residents, and their contiguous families and parents based connected Federal Government requirements.

All passengers implicit the property of 12 connected Qantas and Jetstar planetary flights volition beryllium required to amusement impervious of being afloat vaccinated of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by Australia, arsenic good arsenic the effect of a nucleic acerb investigating wrong 72 hours of departure.

Foreign airlines are besides preparing for Australia’s reopening of its borders.

Cathay Pacific flights volition instrumentality to pre-pandemic levels from Nov. 1, with 10 flights a week betwixt Sydney and Hong Kong. Singapore Airlines has besides opened up reservations for 17 flights a week retired of Sydney.