Qantas interational flights in doubt as jab target shelved

Qantas’ plans to restart international flights on 31 October were dealt a new blow on Monday after Prime Minister Scott Morrison played down a previous pledge to vaccinate all Australians by the end of the year. PM Morrison said on Facebook it was “not possible” to set targets due to the “many uncertainties involved”. The announcement is significant because Qantas’ chief executive, Alan Joyce, has long maintained he will only allow passengers on long-haul international flights if they have received a COVID vaccine. “The government has also not set, nor has any plans to set, any new targets for completing first doses,” PM Morrison said. “We will just get on with the job of working together to produce, distribute and administer the vaccines as safely and efficiently as possible.”<br/>