Qantas Airways has effectively suspended all international flights from its schedule for the remainder of the year as airlines around the globe continue to contend with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Australian flag carrier has removed inventory for all international routes—except for a handful into New Zealand—through March of 2021, according to Executive Traveller. When an airline removes inventory, it means flights are no longer available for passengers to book and is usually seen as a precursor to cancellation. So although Qantas’ international routes have not yet been formally canceled, the flights are likely to be officially nixed in coming days.
Qantas Airways CEO Alan Joyce has alluded to the fact that the suspension of international flights could stretch even further into next year. Last month, Joyce said he doesn’t foresee the airline’s international route network significantly relaunching until at least July 2021, according to Australia’s 7News. “We have to position ourselves for several years where revenues will be much lower and that means becoming a smaller airline in the short term,” Joyce told 7News. Currently all Qantas international flights (except New Zealand routes) are canceled through October 2020.
The carrier has also grounded its fleet of double-decker A380 planes—typically used for long-haul international routes—for at least three years, and it has completely retired its six Boeing 747s, another superjumbo jet.
A handful of international airlines, including U.S. carriers, are still flying to and from Australia with cargo and essential travelers on board. Delta, for instance, restarted its Los Angeles to Sydney route on July 1, and United has operated its San Francisco to Sydney route throughout the pandemic. Air New Zealand and Qatar Airways are also currently operating routes between Australia and the U.S., according to the Australian Embassy.
Australia clamped down on the virus early, closing its borders to non-essential travelers and implementing both a ban on overseas travel for its residents and 14-day quarantine for anyone returning the country—and both measures are still in place. Qantas’ looming route suspensions come as many airlines are fighting to restart international operations. Despite a resurgence of the virus in multiple American cities, U.S. carriers such as Delta and United are relaunching routes into Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe. United is hoping that by August, it will fly 25 percent of the international flights it operated in 2019.
