See how Europe's largest airline is operating during pandemic
World

Australia’s Qantas cancels worldwide flights until October. New Zealand may be the exception

By Steven Anderson / June 19, 2020

“With Australia’s borders established to remain closed for some time, we have canceled most worldwide flights right until late Oct,” Qantas mentioned in a statement on Thursday.

A Qantas spokesperson pointed out that the country’s tourism minister, Simon Birmingham, not long ago explained Australia’s global borders with most international locations are not likely to reopen right up until 2021.

There is certainly a person probable exception: New Zealand, Australia’s neighbor across the Tasman Sea. Politicians have reviewed the risk of generating a journey corridor concerning the two nations around the world — however absolutely nothing has been formally agreed however. Now, anybody traveling among the two nations around the world is subject to a two-7 days quarantine. Non-citizens of either place are banned from even flying those routes, with couple exceptions.

“If there is any nation in the globe with whom we can reconnect with 1st, definitely that’s New Zealand,” Australian Key Minister Scott Morrison mentioned in April.

Qantas claimed that it however has “some flights” scheduled concerning the two countries “in the coming months.”

“Need to travel concerning Australia and other nations open up and demand returns, we can insert much more flights again into our program,” the airline extra.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on airways around the globe and brought on $84 billion in losses for the market this yr, according to the Worldwide Air Transportation Affiliation.
Qantas in February claimed that the virus could cut down its income by up to 150 million Australian dollars ($100 million) in the next half of its fiscal yr, although that was very well before the total scope of the pandemic was realized. Qantas is just not envisioned to report earnings for the whole yr for one more two months.
The virus also pressured Qantas’ only real regional competitor, Virgin Australia, to collapse into administration before this yr. The airline founded by billionaire Richard Branson is nonetheless working toward acquiring a customer. Virgin is still traveling throughout that process.

Whilst Qantas is canceling most of its international flights, a spokesperson for the airline told CNN Small business that it is still looking at raising desire for travel inside of Australia as neighborhood limits are slowly and gradually lifted. Qantas Group’s domestic passenger numbers inside of the state doubled this 7 days to 64,000 persons.

— Julia Hollingsworth contributed to this report.

You may also like