Greg Hunt: International travel may have to wait despite Qantas plan

Qantas plans to sell overseas flights from July 1, but there is no guarantee Australia’s international borders will be open by then.

Australians may have to wait until COVID’s “dark winter” is over before jetting overseas, despite Qantas resuming the sale of international flights, the Health Minister says.

Qantas has recommenced bookings across its entire international network from July 1 this year, including on routes to the COVID-ravaged UK and US.

Australia’s international borders remain shut, with Australians banned from leaving the country without an exemption.

But the airliner argued progress on a vaccine had outpaced expectations, with the European Union, UK and the US among others well into their rollouts.

Health Minister Greg Hunt welcomed increasing inoculation rates around the world, but did not commit to a timetable for international flights.

Qantas is selling tickets to COVID-ravaged Britain from July 1. Picture: Jessica Taylor / UK PARLIAMENT / AFP

“I’m not going to make any predictions on specific time frames, but we know there’s more vaccination around the world and more vaccination in Australia,” he told 2GB Radio on Wednesday.

He said it was unclear whether the vaccine would prevent transmission, a factor that would “determine the pace” of international reopening.

“What we’re likely to see is a progressive opening up. It won’t be just one day where all of a sudden everything’s open. The world’s going to have to work through this,” he said.

“Australia’s an island sanctuary. Outside of our borders, it’s a very, very dark winter in so many parts of the world.

“What we’re doing is keeping it safe here, and as we believe it’s safe that people can leave and be able to return, then we’ll open those steps progressively.”

Greg Hunt says the international community will ‘progressively’ reopen. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Qantas suspended flights to the UK and the US until October as case numbers spiralled out of control.

The airliner currently only services international flights to New Zealand, but has resumed ticket sales for flights to London and Los Angeles from July 1.

Flights to key hubs across Asia, including Singapore, were also available from that date.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has confirmed international travellers would be required to prove they had received a vaccine.

But with international arrivals posing an outbreak risk, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack warned on Tuesday there was no guarantee borders would reopen by July.

The government has warned potential travellers there is no guarantee the international border will reopen. Picture: Sam Mooy

He said the decision would be made by the government alone and based on medical grounds, but ticket sales were a commercial matter.

Qantas said it would continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, and travellers would be reimbursed or given flight credit if flights did not go ahead.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said last month a two-way trans-Tasman bubble would be established by March, allowing frictionless travel with Australia.

But a COVID-19 outbreak in NSW that spread to Victoria has thrown the timeframe into doubt.