Qantas will bring forward the restart of its international flights by two weeks to 1 November 2021 after the Federal and New South Wales governments today confirmed borders will now reopen on that date.
The national carrier has also welcomed the decision by the NSW Government to remove quarantine arrangements for fully vaccinated arrivals, which is in line with many countries around the world.
Qantas will operate up to five return flights a week from Sydney to London and up to four return flights a week from Sydney to Los Angeles with its Boeing 787 Dreamliners from 1 November. More flights will be added to meet demand, if needed. Flights to London will operate via Darwin until at least April 2022.
These initial flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and parents in line with Australian Government requirements.
Flights to other destinations including Singapore, Fiji and Vancouver are still scheduled to commence from 18 December 2021 with other destinations to restart in the new year – however, in light of the shift to remove quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travelers arriving in New South Wales, the Qantas Group is looking at bringing forward some additional destinations from Sydney if possible.
Flights from 1 November are now on sale. Passengers who have already booked to travel to and from Los Angeles or London and want to travel earlier can make a fee-free date change to their flight on the ‘manage my booking’ section of qantas.com (a fare difference may apply).
CEO COMMENTS
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “Bringing forward the reopening of Australia to the world and removing quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travelers entering New South Wales is a massive step towards life as we knew it.
“In just a little over two weeks, Australians around the world can fly into Sydney and people from around Australia can leave on trips they’ve been waiting almost two years to take. We hope other states will do the same once they reach the 80 per cent target.
“We have thousands of our pilots and cabin crew wanting to get back to work and they will be thrilled at today’s announcement. It will still be a long time before international travel returns to normal but this is a fantastic start.
“Removing quarantine for the fully vaccinated is a sensible approach and brings New South Wales into line with many other global cities.
“I want to thank the Prime Minister and Premier Perrottet for the leadership they have shown in getting borders reopened again, which is only possible because so many Australians have rolled up their sleeves in record time.”
Facts for International Travellers
- All passengers on Qantas international flights (aged 12 years and older) will be required to be fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine (unless they have an exemption).
- As part of government requirements, customers on these flights will also be required to return a negative COVID test from an approved PCR testing site 72 hours prior to departure.
- The NSW Government will advise on what additional testing requirements will be required on arrival in the coming days.
For further information on what customers should expect on these initial flights please see the infographic linked here.
International flights remain subject to Government and Regulatory approval.