Australia-Singapore Market Gets Boost With Easing Of COVID-19 Restrictions

The Australian government is taking another step in restoring international travel by allowing fully vaccinated Singaporean citizens to enter Australia without quarantine.

This arrangement is set to begin on Nov. 21 for Australian states that are ready to participate, which will initially be New South Wales and Victoria. Travelers must be departing from Singapore and must present a negative COVID-19 test result achieved within 72 hours of their departure time.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the agreement at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rome following a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

On Oct. 26, the Singapore government announced it will add Australia to its vaccinated travel lane (VTL) program from Nov. 8. This will allow fully vaccinated Australians to travel to Singapore without quarantine.

Qantas plans to resume scheduled service between Sydney (SYD) and Singapore (SIN) from Nov. 23. The airline is working with Singapore to have these services designated as VTL flights. The Qantas flights will initially operate 3X-weekly with A330s, ramping up to daily from Dec. 18. Jetstar will fly from Darwin (DRW) and Melbourne (MEL) to SIN from Dec. 16.

As of Nov. 1, the Australian government is allowing fully vaccinated citizens and residents to travel internationally. Some Australian states will no longer require residents to quarantine when they return home from overseas.

Singapore Airlines has been operating flights to Australia throughout the pandemic, mainly for cargo, essential travel and repatriation flights. In November, it will operate a total of 63 flights per week to five Australian cities, including a combined 31 per week to SYD and MEL.

The carrier plans to reintroduce A380s to the Australia market from Dec. 1. The A380s will operate seven of the 17 weekly flights to SYD, while 777s and 787s will operate the others.

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