Qantas to Fly 1,315 Stranded Australians Back Home

Qantas is working with the Federal Government of Australia to bring home up to 1,315 Australians currently stranded overseas.

The national carrier 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, whilst the arrival port for the Johannesburg flight has not yet been decided. All passengers will enter 14-day quarantine.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will contact Australians who have registered with the department in the United Kingdom, South Africa and India.

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.

Qantas will take similar on-board safety precautions as its previous repatriation services from international hotspots. All passengers will be COVID19 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, “As the national carrier, this is something we are proud to do. 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.”

These are the first international passenger flights Qantas has operated since June, with commercial flights unviable due to ongoing travel restrictions. International freight flights have continued throughout the pandemic to help maintain key supply chains.

The eight repatriation flights are excluded from the international arrivals cap and are facilitated by the government rather than scheduled commercial services.

The one-way economy fares cost $2150 from London, $1750 from Johannesburg and $1500 from New Delhi not including taxes. Commercial fares from Sydney and Perth to London can be booked on Qantas' website.

Sydney to London - departing Sydney to London Heathrow via Perth on:

4 November
8 November

London to Darwin - departing London on:

22 October
7 November
11 November

New Delhi to Darwin - departing New Delhi on:

26 October
9 November
23 November
27 November

Johannesburg to Australia - date to be advised.

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