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Quarantine-free travel to Singapore to happen in November, Bali by Christmas?

Finally! Australia is on the verge of a quarantine-free bubble deal with Singapore to start next month as Qantas brings forward restarting international flights across the world from November 1 with Bali just around the corner too.

Finally! Australia is on the verge of a quarantine-free bubble deal with Singapore to start next month as Qantas brings forward restarting international flights across the world from November 1 with Bali just around the corner too.

Massive demand for air travel has been triggered by the announcement Australia’s international border will open on November 1 in NSW.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce – alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison – on Friday announced major changes to the national carrier’s flight schedule.

Stood-down Qantas and Jetstar workers, including 5000 employees linked to domestic travel and 6000 to international, will return to work in early December.

Mr Morrison said the federal government was in the final stages of a deal with Singapore to replicate two-way travel without restrictions similar to New Zealand.

“We anticipate that being able to be achieved within the next week or so as we would open up to more visa class holders coming out of Singapore,” he told reporters at Sydney Airport.

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Humayun Tomb, New Delhi

Qantas’ new route between Sydney and New Delhi will launch on December 6 with three flights a week.

Sydney to Singapore flights will resume on November 23, four weeks earlier than scheduled, operating three days a week before ramping up to daily before Christmas.

Sydney to Fiji will be brought forward to December 7 for four flights a week.

Qantas will fly from Sydney to Johannesburg three times a week from January 5, three months earlier than scheduled.

From January 14, the airline will resume its Sydney to Bangkok services more than two months earlier than expected, while Jetstar flights to Phuket will start on January 12.

Read on for the full Qantas operational update here.

Bali by Christmas?

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Mr Joyce is hopeful flights to Bali could resume before Christmas if the Indonesian government drops its quarantine requirements.

“It will be in the early new year at the latest, I think, and we’ve got aircraft ready to go,” he said.

The prime minister said he would speak to Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the G20 summit in Rome next weekend about restarting travel between the two nations.

Sales on already announced Qantas flights to London and Los Angeles have been strong, with some selling out in hours after the border announcement.

From November 1, long haul Qantas flights from Sydney to London via Darwin will restart and the Sydney to LA service soon after.

Mr Joyce said it was big news for Australia after Qantas experienced its darkest period during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It has meant we have had to ground aircraft, stand down people and restructure the business. But there is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

“It is very clear that because Australians have rolled up their sleeves and taken the jab, we can see that light.”

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Tokyo, Japan. Image: Jezael Melgoza/Unsplash

Flights to Honolulu, Vancouver, Tokyo and New Zealand are still scheduled to commence from mid-December 2021, with other destinations to restart in the new year.

Victoria has also announced it is scrapping quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers arriving from overseas, bringing the state into line with NSW.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday confirmed travellers will no longer need to quarantine either at home or in hotels if they are fully vaccinated and test negative to COVID-19 before their flight and then 24 hours after arrival. 

The change will come into effect on November 1, the same day as NSW.

“No hotel quarantine, no iso – you’ll be able to go about your business,” Mr Andrews told reporters.

Via AAP