Qantas pushes back expected restart of international travel

Qantas laid out an ambitious plan to resume almost all international flights from late October, betting that vaccine rollouts will help revive the world’s shattered travel industry. Qantas aims to restart 22 of its 25 overseas routes to cities including Los Angeles, London and Johannesburg from Oct. 31, it said Thursday. Low-cost arm Jetstar will restart all its 13 international routes at the same time. The planned resumption of global travel is four months later than Qantas anticipated last year, though it broadly aligns with the date by which Australia plans to complete its vaccination program. The UK, further ahead with its jabs, is aiming for international trips to restart as soon as May. “The vaccine changes everything,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said. “With the vaccine rollout already underway, we’re on the right track.” Like airlines worldwide, Qantas’s attempts to fly even limited schedules have been repeatedly stymied by snap border closures, inside Australia and overseas. The airline’s revenue losses to the pandemic in 2020 were about A$11b ($8.8b) -- more than half its normal annual sales, Joyce said. Qantas needs the Australian government to open the country’s international border before it can operate offshore. Initial capacity on international flights will be limited, and a full overseas recovery isn’t expected until 2024, Qantas said.<br/>