As the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa starts wearing off, airlines across the globe are continuing to return flights to South Africa after a long period of downturn amid the complications of the pandemic. However, it looks like Qantas passengers will have to wait a little longer. The flag carrier of Australia has shared that it won’t be restarting scheduled services to South Africa until at least December 20th.
There were indications that Qantas would be returning to the African nation this October. However, as the month approaches, the operator’s share that passengers will have to wait until the end of the year at the earliest.
Speaking on the development, the Regional Manager Africa for Qantas Airways, Michi Messner said that “Our Johannesburg-Sydney flight has been pushed out from October to December, as the borders remain closed,” adding that Qantas will continue to monitor the system and to update as necessary but stated that it is still unclear when borders will fully reopen.
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Qantas has been looking at the prospects of a second route to South Africa, with a service between Perth and Johannesburg a potential option. The airline used to fly between the two cities as far back as the 1950s. As a result of a codeshare agreement with South African Airways at the turn of the millennium, SAA focused on this route, while Qantas concentrated on flights between Sydney and Johannesburg. South Africa is not the only country where Qantas’ operations have been rocked. The airline has struggled heavily with its international routes ever since the rise of the pandemic that saw Australia implement stringent ongoing travel restrictions.
Barring exceptions, international borders have been largely closed. The majority of those eligible to fly in have to stay in a designated hotel for 14 days after arriving, with a room costing at least AU$3,000 (US$2,200).
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In May, the government of Australia revised its vaccination roll-out timeline to the end of this year and shifted its target to reopen international borders to the middle of 2022. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has since called for an end of lockdowns in the country and has requested leniency on the vaccination goals regarding the reopening of travel.
It’s not only the international market that has been struggling in Australia. Domestic operations are also facing problems amid a wave of virus cases in the last few months. Since June, there has been an ongoing rise, with over 400 daily cases now being reported. Amid the recent challenges, thousands of staff across Australia’s airlines have had to stand down.
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Overall, while several markets open up across the continents, Australia’s airline industry will still have to deal with the harsh conditions into 2022. The carriers will be hoping for better fortunes by the time next year rolls around.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry