Summer is looking up!
Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that the quarantine-free Australia-Singapore travel bubble could be established within the next week. Both countries were in the last stages of finalising the agreement and, overnight, the Singapore government announced that the new travel bubble would open on November 8.
For Singapore, Australia now joins its list of vaccinated-only travel lanes that includes a number of arrangements with European countries as well as the United States. Switzerland will also open quarantine-free travel with Singapore while South Korea is soon to follow.
Sydney and Melbourne, both of which will scrap quarantine requirements for international travel from November 1 will be the first direct flights out of the country operated by Qantas and Singapore airlines.
Australia-Singapore travel bubble
Mr Morrison spoke about the developments at a press conference held today at Qantas’ Sydney Airport jet base along with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet.
“We are in the final stages of concluding an arrangement with the Singapore government. I was in a position, as you know, some months ago when I met with the prime minister of Singapore, prime minister Li in Singapore, to set up a new arrangement which will see our borders open more quickly to Singapore,” he said.
In a Facebook post Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he was “delighted to hear that Australia would be allowing entry to visa holders from Singapore”
“Singapore and Australia have robust economic and investment links, and warm people-to-people ties. Look forward to resuming close connectivity between our countries, as we move towards an endemic COVID future,” he added.
Qantas to restart flights earlier than expected
The update about the Australia-Singapore travel bubble follows news from Qantas that many international flights would recommence from Sydney in November. While initially flights were only scheduled to places like London and Los Angeles, Qantas has added popular destinations like Fiji, Singapore and Johannesburg to fly out of the country mid-November — a full month earlier than expected.
Qantas will also begin a regular Delhi route and bring the Airbus A380 back to Sydney — a first in many years as revealed by premier Dominic Perrottet.