Qatar Airlines remains committed to the Australian market and is ready to operate as many flights as possible to help more Australians return home.
Qatar Airways welcomes the Australian Government’s decision to increase the current caps on international arrivals into the country. The announcement that there are plans to allow an additional 2,000 Australians per week to return home will enable the airline to further support repatriation efforts.
Qatar Airways has been in regular communication with the Australian Government and the travel agencies community since the onset of the pandemic to provide, in addition to nine repatriation charters operated to/from Australia, extra capacity to help bring Australians home.
The airline has remained committed to supporting the repatriation of Australian residents whilst also complying with the passenger cap restrictions. Qatar Airways appreciates Australian authorities for approving ad hoc extra capacity above the cap for compassionate, humanitarian, and essential workers cases.
“We are pleased to see the announcement by the Australian Government that it will increase the cap on international arrivals to Australia allowing more Australians to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive.
What’s going on?
Due to the cap on international passengers, travelling to Australian destinations, based on limitations of quarantine facilities, currently Qatar Airways can carry a limited number of passengers per day to all of its Australia destinations, resulting in thousands of Australian citizens and residents being unable to be accommodated on flights.
Despite the challenges, Qatar Airways is operating a robust Australian network to five cities, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne (currently no inbound passengers permitted), Perth and Sydney to facilitate ongoing repatriation and is currently operating more flights than any other international airline.
Qatar Airways has been restricted to twenty-one weekly frequencies to the main gateways since 2016 despite other airlines from the region enjoying up to four times that number of frequencies. While these airlines suspended services, leaving Australians stranded around the world, Qatar Airways temporarily added an extra 48,000 seats in April and May to help stranded passengers get home along with launching new services to Brisbane.
Qatar Airways also recently resumed flights to Adelaide, becoming the first international airline since the onset of the pandemic to serve five Australian cities. The airline has worked with the South Australian government to implement the Adelaide route in an effort to provide additional opportunities for people to get back to Australia, and to further support repatriation efforts.
These flights have also helped maintain vital supply chains for Australian businesses with Qatar Airways carrying just over 15,000 tonnes of Australian goods since 1 March 2020. The continued operation of these flights is vital to the Australian economy as they maintain a much-needed link to the world and facilitate international exports.
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READ: Bringing You Home: Qatar Airways Continues To Repatriate Australians
