Qantas has brought forward the restart of its international flights to November 14 after the federal government announced the easing of COVID-19 restrictions as vaccine rates climb.
The national carrier will operate four weekly return flights between Sydney and London and three weekly return flights between Sydney and Los Angeles.
More flights will be added to meet demand.
However, the airline says once the exact date that Australia’s international borders will reopen in November is known, the commencement dates for the two routes may need to be updated.
Customers booked on the flights will have the flexibility to make ‘fee free’ date changes for travel until December 31, 2022, with refunds or credits available if flights are cancelled.
All passengers will be required to be fully vaccinated and return a negative test 72 hours prior to departure, and home quarantine for seven days on arrival into Australia.
The decision comes as states and territories edge closer to 80 per cent double-dose vaccination coverage for people aged 16 and over – the threshold for reopening the international border.
But new cases detected on the east coast remain stubbornly high.
NSW recorded 813 new cases and 10 deaths on Saturday, while there were 1488 infections and two deaths in Victoria.
The ACT again reported 52 new cases – an equal record – on Saturday.
Meanwhile Queensland recorded two new locally acquired cases, as it prepares to host the NRL grand final on Sunday.
However Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the time had come to give Australians back their lives.
“I want us to get moving. I want people to be able to come home,” he told reporters in Canberra.
China’s Sinovac and Covishield produced in India will be recognised alongside AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
Unvaccinated people or those without approved jabs will require two weeks’ managed isolation in hotels or dedicated facilities.
People who cannot be immunised including those under 12 or with a medical condition will be treated as vaccinated.
States and territories will access the new freedoms at different times with vaccination coverage and home quarantine programs varying across jurisdictions.
In coming weeks, Australians will be able to access an international vaccination certificate to present at foreign borders and at the Australian border.
The certificate, which will meet International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and be endorsed by the World Health Organisation, will display a QR code that is as secure as a passport chip.
They are expected to become available by the end of October, both digitally and in printable form, through the myGov platform.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the government needed to start delivering for stranded Australians rather than focusing on more announcements.
“Mr Morrison has failed on borders because he failed to establish purpose-built quarantine,” he said.
The government is working towards quarantine-free travel with countries like New Zealand when safe.
Meanwhile, the national cabinet which met on Friday endorsed a plan to start third-dose booster shots later this year.
And it received confirmation all states and territories had effective healthcare surge planning systems in place to deal with higher case loads as restrictions were lifted.
Plans were also provided on increasing vaccination rates amongst disabled and Indigenous Australians.
More than 55 per cent of Australians over 16 have been fully vaccinated, while 78.5 per cent have received at least one dose.
By Tiffanie Turnbull and Paul Osborne in Canberra
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