Qantas to restart int’l scheduled ops in early 4Q20

Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith) outlined plans to relaunch scheduled international flights on October 16, 2020, once the “travel bubble” between Australia and New Zealand enters into force. The Australian flag carrier will operate just two trans-Tasman routes from Sydney Kingsford Smith, to Auckland Int’l (6x weekly) and Christchurch (4x weekly). The airline’s low-cost carrier subsidiary Jetstar Airways (JQ, Melbourne Tullamarine) will operate an additional 3x weekly flights from Sydney to Auckland. The travel bubble will initially be a one-way arrangement, allowing residents of New Zealand to travel to Australia with no mandatory quarantine or testing. However, initially, arrivals will only be processed at Sydney and Darwin airports. Residents of Australia are still not allowed to enter New Zealand, while New Zealanders residing in Australia returning to New Zealand will continue to be subject to a two-week mandatory quarantine rule. Virgin Australia (VA, Brisbane Int’l) said that while it welcomed the establishment of the travel bubble, it was reliant on two-way traffic between Australia and New Zealand. As such, it has yet to plot its return to the trans-Tasman market.