Flights from Australia to London are being tipped to re-start as early as November according to travel agency Flight Centre. The company is gearing up for UK travel in the next few months – possibly even before domestic travel is allowed.
Already this week we’ve had a raft of indications that international travel could be resuming sooner rather than later, with the government announcing that vaccine passports could start to be issued from next month.
The plans hinge on the ability for travellers to fly in and out of Australia without the need for expensive hotel quarantine, something the government is currently investigating alternative options for.
Flight Centre has confirmed that regional NSW fares will go on sale in mid-October, an as-yet undermined date that some are already referring to as ‘freedom day’.
However, the strict border controls in place between states mean that it is “more and more likely” that people within NSW will be able to go to the UK before they can travel to somewhere like Cairns, said Flight Centre chief Graham Turner.
Turner reports that he expects London to be the first international destination available from Sydney which he says could happen some time in November.
Qantas has already seen a surge in searches for flights to London as it appears to be Australia’s top destination once the lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Under Britain’s existing rules, visitors from “green list” countries, including Australia, are not required to quarantine upon entry as long as they can provide a negative COVID-test taken 48 hours before their departure. Arrivals will have to be tested again on their second day in the country.
Turner has said that he anticipates vaccinated travellers returning to Australia will be able to isolate at home for somewhere between two and five days under the government’s yet-to-be-announced plans.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said “We want to have home quarantine as the primary and viable method for quarantine and the widespread option for people who are travelling or living overseas and wishing to return to Australia.”
The federal government has been using the Biosecurity Act to ban overseas travel since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. That ban is renewed on a rolling three-month basis and has just been re-instated.
It is expected to end this time around on 17 December and there are suggestions that this could be the final date for the extension of the ban, meaning international travel could resume from the 18th.
Qantas has already begun working to increase its flights, starting on that date, however Turner predicts that airlines like Emirates would be likely to offer flights before Qantas as they are still operating flights at reduced capacity.
According to the government’s four-phase plan, international travel ‘could’ resume when all state’s hit 80 per cent full vaccination status however, as we have already seen, states like NSW are prepared to jump the gun here and move before other states have caught up.
Turner said that he expects Aussies will be able to fly to Europe, the US, Canada, Singapore, and Fiji before Christmas.
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