Qantas suspends sales on high-profile Perth-Johannesburg launch

Qantas has suspended selling tickets for its new services from Perth to Johannesburg and Jakarta weeks before they were due to launch. The airline said it has “temporarily paused” sales while it works with government departments on the “customs and biosecurity requirements” of the flights. The high-profile Johannesburg service was due to launch on 1 November and Jakarta on 30 November, with Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce even making the announcement in a joint press conference with WA Premier Mark McGowan. The announcement raised eyebrows after the pair had several major arguments during COVID-19 — with Joyce comparing Western Australia’s border policies to those of North Korea. McGowan retaliated by arguing his pandemic restrictions actually made WA “the most successful economy in the world”. In a remarkable turnaround, Joyce used the occasion to say he now thought the WA premier was “one of, if not the best, politicians easily in the country at the moment and he’s done a fantastic job here”. “Indonesia is a rapidly growing economy that’s home to more than 270 million people, and these new flights will open up more trade and investment opportunities and a new gateway for travellers looking to explore Indonesia,” said Joyce.<br/>