Qantas is working with the Federal Government to bring home up to 1315 Australians currently stuck overseas.
The national carrier will operate eight return services: four from New Delhi, three from London and one from Johannesburg. London and New Delhi flights will operate direct to Darwin. The arrival port for the Johannesburg flight is being worked through and all passengers will enter 14-day quarantine. Additional flights to other destinations may be announced in due course.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will contact Australians in vulnerable positions who have registered with the department in the United Kingdom, South Africa and India.
All services will be underwritten by the Australian Government and operated by Qantas on a cost recovery basis. They will be flown using Qantas’ 787-9 Dreamliners.
Qantas will take similar on-board safety precautions as its previous repatriation services from international hotspots. All passengers will be COVID tested at least 48 hours prior to departure and must test negative in order to board the aircraft. They must wear masks throughout the flight and will be tested again on arrival in Australia before entering 14-day quarantine.
As with other international charter flights, crew will have additional protections including personal protective equipment, in-flight service will be scaled back and there will be ‘crew only’ areas at the front and back of the aircraft. All pilots and cabin crew working on these flights will have volunteered for them.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “As the national carrier, this is something we are proud to do.”
“Since the pandemic started, we’ve operated over 100 international flights to bring Australians home with the government’s support.
“I’d like to thank not only the crew who are volunteering to operate on these services but the many people behind the scenes who make sure these flights happen, particularly to cities where we don’t typically operate to.”
These are the first international passenger flights Qantas has operated since June, with commercial flights unviable due to ongoing travel restrictions. International freight flights have continued throughout the pandemic to help maintain key supply chains.
The eight repatriation flights are excluded from the international arrivals cap and are facilitated by the government rather than scheduled commercial services.
The one-way economy fares cost $2150 from London, $1750 from Johannesburg and $1500 from New Delhi not including taxes. Commercial fares from Sydney and Perth to London can be booked at qantas.com
Flight details
Sydney to London
Departing Sydney to London Heathrow via Perth on
19 October
4 November
8 November
London to Darwin
Departing London on
22 October
7 November
11 November
New Delhi to Darwin
Departing New Delhi on
26 October
9 November
23 November
27 November
Johannesburg to Australia
Date to be advised