Qantas has pushed up its planned resumption of international service by two weeks, in line with the Australian and New South Wales' governments border reopening plans.
The carrier now will start service between Sydney and both London and Los Angeles on Nov. 1, a quicker start than its previously announced date of Nov. 14. The Australian state of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital, announced it would begin allowing fully vaccinated international travelers to enter without quarantine on Nov. 1.
For now, the allowance is only for Australian citizens and residents, and the flights will be limited to them and their immediate families. Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week said the federal government still has not come to a decision on when foreign visitors will be allowed in Australia, according to Reuters.
Qantas will start with up to five weekly flights between Sydney and London, via Darwin, and four weekly flights between Sydney and Los Angeles, with more to be added if demand necessitates it, according to Qantas. The carrier plans to start service to Singapore, Fiji and Vancouver on Dec. 18 and other international destinations in 2022, though Qantas is considering pushing up the restart date for some Sydney flights if possible.
Singapore Airlines last week also announced it will expand passenger capacity to Sydney on Nov. 1. The carrier has been operating 17 weekly flights to Sydney with one daily flight for passengers and the rest cargo-only. As of Nov. 1, all of those flights will open for fully vaccinated Australian citizens or residents as passengers.