News
Virgin Australia delays re-start of selected international destinations by a minimum of six months; Qantas revises international flying start
May 13th 2021
Virgin Australia (VA) said today it will push back the resumption of some short-haul international flying until at least December. Read More » The announcement followed the Australian government’s statement that international borders were unlikely to reopen until at least mid-2022, due to a slower than expected COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the country. “While we know some Australians are itching to travel overseas, it is clear international travel won’t return to normal as quickly as first anticipated,” VA chief strategy and transformation officer, Alistair Hartley, said in a statement.
Flights to Denpasar and Nadi were deferred until at least December 1, but VA said there was no proposed restart date for flights to New Zealand – apart from some services to Queenstown scheduled for September – Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.
Similarly, Qantas Group said yesterday it would delay the resumption of international flights to late December 2021, from its previously planned October date. "We remain optimistic additional bubbles will open once Australia’s vaccine rollout is complete to countries that, by then, are in a similar position. It is difficult to predict which ones at this stage," Qantas said. The airline group said trans-Tasman flights were not affected by the schedule change.
