Qantas expects monstrous tourism restart, A380s back in service
It is still too early to sing victory, but more and more nations are changing their approach to reopening borders. [...]
Qantas
Oneworld
It is still too early to sing victory, but more and more nations are changing their approach to reopening borders. Nations on the southern continent have been the strictest in these 18 months of the pandemic, even the New Zealand closed all in lockdown after recording only one case after nearly 90 days of clean sheet.
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Now, however, that vaccination is proceeding even in these latitudes, it seems that governments are ready to change their approach, moving toward a path charted by the Thailand, with the Phuket Sandbox and by Singapore with the "we'll have to live with Covid-19." that is, the knowledge that it will be impossible to eliminate the infection, but that with a high vaccination rate and a control protocol, it will be possible to return to tourist travel for what are mistakenly called nonessential reasons.
In today's morning press release from Qantas rekindled the hopes of millions of Australians and tourists around the world eager to go to the land of kangaroos.
The main points of the press release
- The current date of December 2021 for resumption of flights is still possible thanks to the vaccination campaign that is expected to reach 80% of the population by the end of October
- Plans remain dependent on government decisions in the coming months, including future quarantine requirements.
- Destinations will be those in countries with high vaccination rates, including North America, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Japan.
- Five Airbus A380s will be back in service by the middle of next year to meet the high demand to Los Angeles and London.
- Of the 12 A380s in the fleet, only 2 will be scrapped, while all others will return to operation and with complete cabin restyling
Let's just say that virtually none of this news was expected, and instead it seems that finally the light at the end of the tunnel is indeed near.
The most surprising news is that of the reactivation of the A380s, in the last official note the outlook spoke of 2024 as the earliest date for the giant Airbus to return to the skies of Australia.
Very few companies have decided to keep this model in their fleet and, as well as Emirates, it is a safe bet that if demand is truly what Qantas predicts the hibernating giants of Singapore Airlines and all the others will also return to flight.
This news will also make happy all those who hope to put a black period like the pandemic behind them with the most iconic journey as a round-the-world trip.
Only 3 companies have been flying A380s in recent months: Emirates, Korean and China Southern. Pictured is one of the examples in the fleet at the Chinese company immortalized at Amsterdam Airport this summer.
