Australia to SA Flights Back on in 2022 Says Qantas After 21 Months, 1st Flight Lands Today

• Since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, Qantas grounded the majority of its international flights
• Today a Qantas flight from Australia will land at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg
• For the time being, Qantas will offer three flights each week between Johannesburg and Sydney

JOHANNESBURG - After nearly two years of no commercial passenger flights between South Africa and Australia, Qantas will land at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg from Australia this afternoon (4 January).

Since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, Qantas grounded the majority of its international flights as Australia's re-entry requirements were strictly enforced. Australia has the world's second-largest ex-pat South African community consisting of 200 000 people.

A limited number of repatriation flights were hosted by Qantas between South Africa and Australia since the pandemic began, but the lack of regular international flights caused major financial losses to the airline, Business Insider reports.

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What caused Qantas to restart flights to and from SA

According to BusinessTech, in September 2021 Qantas predicted that they would resume flights between Australia and South Africa in 2022, but did not specify which month. The main reason for restarting international flights in January is Australia deciding to lift restrictions that it had previously placed on South Africa.

For the time being, Qantas will offer three flights each week between Johannesburg and Sydney. These will all be return flights. However, different Australian territories have varying rules about Covid-19 tests and self-isolation requirements.

If a traveller from South Africa lands in Sydneyfully vaccinated and with a negative Covid-19 test result they do not need to self-isolate. Should they go to Queensland they would need an additional entry pass.

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Covid19: Maldives lifts travel ban, Mauritius makes SA wait until end Jan

Speaking of travel restrictions, Briefly News previously reported that the Maldives has announced that South Africans may travel there, provided that they produce a negative PCR test result.

South Africans who travel to the Maldives will not be required to quarantine upon arrival, whether they are vaccinated or not. However, Mauritius is still not allowing South African travellers to enter and is expected to open by the end of January 2022.

Mauritius itself was placed under a travel ban by France, which has since been lifted. On 28 December Mauritius reported 21 Omicron cases of Covid-19 which presented in arriving passengers.

Source: Briefly News