There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruption and disruption to airlines. In addition, the virus has forced countries' governments to close borders to prevent the virus from spreading. Now, gradually, the restrictions are relaxed, the borders are reopened and flights are resumed to facilitate economic recovery.
The key markets for leisure and tourism travel such as Europe and North America have reopened, after the number of vaccinations has increased enough to relaunch strategic destinations. The current situation encourages the reopening of borders and the resumption of international travel, especially for Australia, which is still closed. As a result, the Australian flag carrier has recently defined its relaunch plans for restarting international flights under the right circumstances.
For the international flight schedule, Qantas plans to resume long-haul international flights to destinations - where vaccination rates are high - such as North America, the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore, using its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A330 aircraft.
Qantas also wants to bring Airbus A380 aircraft back into service for flights from Sydney to Los Angeles and London.
Other international destinations that the airline wants to resume include Hong Kong - in February 2022 - and New Zealand - from the end of this year, depending on the pandemic situation. Qantas also wants to bring Airbus A380 aircraft back into service for flights from Sydney to Los Angeles and from Sydney to London via Singapore in 2022.
As Qantas prepares for the resumption of long-awaited international flights after the reopening of its border in the right conditions, the carrier also announced the vaccination requirement for its employees earlier this month. Cabin crew, pilots and airport workers should be fully vaccinated by 15 November, while auxiliary staff should be fully vaccinated by 31 March next year.
The light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer to Australia, largely due to the vaccination program. For Qantas, it is a long-awaited necessity, as the airline will have the opportunity to rebuild its long-distance route network and attract tourists. Undoubtedly, passengers want to travel, but the challenge for Qantas is to make its flights in a safe way.