Qantas is working with the Federal Government to bring home up to 1315 Australians currently stuck overseas. Flights begin 19 October and will bring people home from London, New Delhi and Johannesburg.
After news that PM Scott Morrison struck a deal with the NT government to use a mining camp located at Howard Spring to quarantine Australians arriving from overseas, Qantas has added flights to its schedule to bring over a thousand Aussies home.
Qantas will operate eight return services: four from New Delhi, three from London and one from Johannesburg.
London and New Delhi flights will operate direct to Darwin. The arrival port for the Johannesburg flight is being worked through and all passengers will enter 14-day quarantine. Additional flights to other destinations may be announced in due course.
“As the national carrier, this is something we are proud to do.”
Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO
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All services will be underwritten by the Australian Government and operated by Qantas on a cost recovery basis. They will be flown using Qantas’ 787-9 Dreamliners.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will contact Australians in vulnerable positions who have registered with the department in the United Kingdom, South Africa and India.
Qantas says it will take similar on-board safety precautions as its previous repatriation services from international hotspots. All passengers will be COVID tested at least 48 hours prior to departure and must test negative in order to board the aircraft. They must wear masks throughout the flight and will be tested again on arrival in Australia before entering 14-day quarantine.
As with other international charter flights, crew will have additional protections including personal protective equipment, in-flight service will be scaled back and there will be ‘crew only’ areas at the front and back of the aircraft. All pilots and cabin crew working on these flights will have volunteered for them.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said “since the pandemic started, we’ve operated over 100 international flights to bring Australians home with the government’s support.
“I’d like to thank not only the crew who are volunteering to operate on these services but the many people behind the scenes who make sure these flights happen, particularly to cities where we don’t typically operate to.”
Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO
The eight repatriation flights are excluded from the international arrivals cap and are facilitated by the government rather than scheduled commercial services.
The deets
The one-way economy fares cost $2150 from London, $1750 from Johannesburg and $1500 from New Delhi.
Commercial fares from Sydney and Perth to London can be booked at qantas.com.
Flight details:
- Departing Sydney to London Heathrow via Perth on 19 October, 4 November, 8 November
- Departing London to Darwin on 22 October, 7 November, 11 November
- Departing New Delhi to Darwin on 26 October, 9 November, 23 November, 27 November
- Johannesburg to Australia date to be advised.
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READ: Repatriation Flights Will Bring Thousands Of Stranded Aussies Home