Qantas opens international bookings on vaccine hopes

Aussie carrier to resume flights to places like Singapore in July as it banks on pent-up travel demand

A hankering for travel among Australians has meant that Qantas has been busy on the home front. Last month, the Australian flag carrier said it expected to fly the vast majority of its normal domestic schedule in the first quarter after major state b
A hankering for travel among Australians has meant that Qantas has been busy on the home front. Last month, the Australian flag carrier said it expected to fly the vast majority of its normal domestic schedule in the first quarter after major state borders reopen. By June, the airline should be generating enough cash to begin repairing its balance sheet. PHOTO: REUTERS

SYDNEY • Qantas Airways has started taking bookings for international flights from July 1, in a perhaps optimistic view that by then, vaccinations will have begun to curb the spread of the coronavirus and travel demand will pick up.

Ticket sales for Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, which had been set to start in March, have been pushed back to July, while other destinations like London have been brought forward from October, Australia's national carrier said yesterday. New Zealand is the only overseas destination to which Qantas is currently flying.

"Recently we have aligned the selling of our international services to reflect our expectation that international travel will begin to restart from July 2021," Qantas said. "We continue to review and update our international schedule in response to the developing Covid-19 situation."

Although countries such as Singapore, China, Israel, the United States and Britain have started vaccinating their populations, Australia is yet to authorise a Covid-19 jab and does not plan to offer a shot until March. The country cancelled a local vaccine development last month after trials showed it could interfere with HIV diagnoses.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has said that a vaccine will be necessary for quarantine-free travel to resume to the US and Britain, where infections are surging. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a third national lockdown in England until the middle of next month on fears that the National Health Service will be overwhelmed.

A hankering for travel among Australians has meant Qantas has been busy on the home front. Last month, Qantas said it expected to fly the vast majority of its normal domestic schedule in the first quarter after major state borders reopen. By June, the airline should be generating enough cash to begin repairing its balance sheet.

The authorities do at least appear to be on top of controlling virus clusters in Australia's two most populous states: New South Wales yesterday recorded four new locally acquired cases from the day before, while Victoria had three. Still, New South Wales officials are concerned after an 18-year-old Sydney man tested positive following a trip to outback areas. Testing clinics are being set up in the remote towns he visited.

To date, the Australian government has banned citizens from leaving the country unless they receive an exemption, which can include travel for business, as part of the coronavirus fight, or on compassionate grounds.

BLOOMBERG

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 06, 2021, with the headline Qantas opens international bookings on vaccine hopes. Subscribe