“The restart of our international flights is only possible because of the way Victorians and Australians more broadly have rolled up their sleeves to get the jab,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce in a statement. 

“Victorians have done it tougher than most over the past two years and we think many will see the restart of Qantas international flights as another important step towards life getting back to normal,” Joyce said. 

“We are starting to see more and more Victorians booking a much-deserved international getaway, and as borders open up to international visitors we’re expecting to see them visit Melbourne in large numbers, which will give local tourism and hospitality businesses a boost.”

Qantas also announced a brand-new international route from Melbourne to the capital city of India, Delhi from December 22, 2021. This is the airline’s first time to operate this route.

The new Melbourne-Delhi flight will operate four times a week, year-round. Same day connections will also be available from the capital cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra. 

Flights from Melbourne to Delhi will initially operate via Adelaide, while flights from Delhi to Melbourne will be direct.

This follows the airline’s recent announcement of flights from Sydney to Delhi, which also starts in December 2021. 

Joyce added: “While the past 20 months has undoubtedly been the most challenging in Qantas’ history, as we emerge from the crisis we are taking new opportunities to broaden our network in response to unprecedented pent-up travel demand. This is helping us bring more Qantas employees back to work.”

Initial international flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family in line with Federal Government requirements. It’s expected this will be extended to other travelers in the coming months.