The Qantas Group has released plans to restart international flights but the South African route is off the cards for 2021.

A release from the carrier says the plan for the restart of international routes is linked to the vaccine roll-out in Australia and key overseas markets. Australia should reach the critical threshold of 80% of the adult population fully vaccinated in December this year, triggering the gradual reopening of international borders.

Qantas’s key markets, the UK, North America and parts of Asia, have high and increasing levels of vaccination, which should make them eligible to be classed as low-risk countries. Vaccinated travellers should be able to visit these countries and return, under “reduced quarantine requirements”, pending decisions by the Australian Government. Qantas and Jetstar are now preparing for those key, rapidly vaccinating markets.

In South Africa, the vaccinated rate currently stands at 23% of the adult population of 40m.

“Destinations that still have low vaccine rates and high levels of COVID infection will now be pushed out from December 2021 until April 2022 – including Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg,” says the airline. Future demand levels for, and from, these markets will hinge on what the Australian government will require regarding mandatory quarantines or alternative requirements to mandatory hotel isolation for fully vaccinated travellers.

Assuming vaccination levels keep up with the projection, the airline’s plan is:

• From mid-December 2021, flights will start to ‘COVID-safe destinations’, likely to include Singapore, US, Japan, UK and Canada.
• Flights between Australia and New Zealand will be on sale for travel from mid-December 2021, on the assumption that some or all parts of the two-way bubble will restart.
• Non-stop flights between Australia and London are expected to be in high demand post-COVID. The airline is investigating using Darwin as a transit point, as an alternative (or in addition) to its existing Perth hub, given conservative border policies in Western Australia.
• Five A380s will return to service ahead of schedule, between Sydney and Los Angeles from July 2022, and between Sydney and London (via Singapore) from November 2022. The A380s work well on these long-haul routes when there’s sufficient demand, and the high vaccination rates in both markets would underpin this.
• Qantas will extend the range of its A330-200 aircraft to operate some trans-Pacific routes such as Brisbane-Los Angeles and Brisbane-San Francisco. This involves some technical changes that are now being finalised with Airbus.
• Flights to Hong Kong will restart in February and the rest of the Qantas and Jetstar international network is planned to open up from April 2022, with capacity increasing gradually.
• Qantas will take delivery of three B787-9s (new aircraft that have been in storage with Boeing) during 2023 to operate additional flights to key markets as demand increases. Jetstar will take delivery of its first three Airbus A321neo LR aircraft from early 2023, the extended range of which will free up some of its B787s to be redeployed on other markets.

Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce, said the airline was working to integrate the Iata Travel Pass into its systems to help customers prove their vaccine status.

Qantas has recently extended its Fly Flexible policy, offering customers who book international flights before February 28, 2022, unlimited ‘fee-free’ date changes when travelling before December 31, 2022. (A fare difference may apply.) The carrier has also extended credit vouchers for bookings made on or before September 3, 2021, to enable travel until December 31, 2023.