SYDNEY (Reuters) – Qantas Airways Ltd said on Friday it would bring back two of its Airbus SE A380s earlier than planned and was in talks with Boeing Co about the delivery of three new 787-9s in storage to accelerate its international flight plans.
The airline said it would also launch a new route from Sydney to Delhi on Dec. 6 and all 11,000 of its domestic and international staff that are currently idled without pay would return to work by early December.
The state of New South Wales, home to Sydney, will allow the entry of fully vaccinated travellers from overseas from Nov. 1 without the need for quarantine, authorities said last week, although the easing of strict entry controls will initially benefit only citizens and permanent residents.
“We hope that as vaccination rates in other states and territories increase, we’ll be able to restart more international flights out of their capital cities,” Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said in a statement. “In the meantime, Sydney is our gateway to the rest of the world.”
The state of Victoria, home to Australia’s second-largest city Melbourne, is set to announce a similar international travel policy to New South Wales, local media reported on Thursday evening, citing government sources.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed; editing by Diane Craft and Richard Pullin)
