Australia will open its border to citizens for international
travel in November, though the ability for foreign visitors to enter remains
farther down the road, prime minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday.
Australia's border has largely been closed since the onset
of the Covid-19 pandemic, with only a limited number of Australians allowed to
travel abroad and then be subject to a 14-day hotel quarantine at their own
expense upon their return. Nearly 80 per cent of Australians have received at
least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to Morrison, and
"large parts of the country" will move to "Phase C" of
Australia's reopening plan, which includes allowing international travel for
fully vaccinated Australians.
Under the plan, Australians will be able to travel and
return to a seven-day home quarantine rather than a hotel quarantine. The
country is also working towards quarantine-free travel to certain destinations,
such as New Zealand, according to Morrison.
In response to the news, Qantas announced plans to restart
international services on 14 November, a month earlier than it had previously
planned. The carrier plans to start with three weekly flights each between
Sydney and both London and Los Angeles. Those routes have been the most frequently
searched on Qantas' website in recent weeks, and the carrier will add more if
demand is greater. The start date might be tweaked once Australia announces an
exact opening date.
The Perth-London service restart has been pushed back to 2022 as Western Australia continues its strict entry restrictions.
All passengers will be required to be fully vaccinated under an approved scheme.
"We'd already sold out some of our international
flights for December and seen strong demand on flights to and from London and
Los Angeles, so we're confident there will be a lot of interest in these
earlier services," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement.
"Beyond the initial rush, the ongoing demand for international flights
will hinge largely on what the quarantine requirements are. The shift to
seven-day home quarantine for fully vaccinated Australians with a negative test
is a great step towards reducing this closer to what is becoming standard in
many countries overseas, which is a test and release programme."
Citing a government source, Reuters reported the discussions
are underway to also allow foreign visitors into Australia, but it is not yet
possible to attach a timeline to that return.