Australian flag carrier Qantas has announced on October 1, 2021, that it will resume its international flights on November 14, 2021, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared that Australia’s international borders would reopen in November.
Morrison announced on October 1, 2021, that Australians will be allowed to travel overseas by November 2021 once their respective states hit 80% double dose vaccinations. Based on vaccination statistics, New South Wales is on track to be the first to hit that milestone.
Australia has had one of the world’s strictest pandemic restrictions, shutting its borders since March 2020 and prohibiting its own people from even leaving the country.
Since March 2020, Qantas has grounded its international fleet and only operated freight and repatriation flights, along with the short-lived Australia – New Zealand quarantine-free travel bubble.
Qantas flights from Sydney to Los Angeles and London will operate initially three times per week, ahead of flights being launched to other international destinations and from other major Australian cities such as Melbourne and Brisbane.
“We welcome the federal government’s decision and the work by the New South Wales government to facilitate the home quarantine approach that makes this feasible,” Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said to Australian media. “We look forward to other states and territories getting on board.”
