Sharjah 24 – BNA: Australia's flagship airline Qantas has outlined a gradual resumption of international flights from December this year.

The Qantas Group's plans are linked to the coronavirus vaccine roll-out in Australia and key overseas markets, the airline said in a statement released on Thursday, Deutsche press agency (dpa) reported.

"Plans remain dependent on government decisions in the coming months, including future quarantine requirements," the airline said.

On current projections, Australia is expected to reach a national vaccination threshold of 80 per cent in December 2021, leading to the gradual reopening of international borders.

It plans is set to initially focus on what it termed "destinations with high vaccination rates" including in North America, Britain, Singapore and Japan.

Flights to destinations that still have low vaccine rates and high levels of Covid-19 - including Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg - are not expected to resume until April 2022.

"The prospect of flying overseas might feel a long way off, especially with New South Wales and Victoria in lockdown, but the current pace of the vaccine rollout means we should have a lot more freedom in a few months' time," Qantas Group head Alan Joyce asserted.

Australia's international borders have been closed to all but residents and citizens - with a few exceptions - since March 2020.

Qantas announced last week that it will require all frontline employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 within three months.

The Qantas Group, which owns Qantas and budget airline Jetstar, said that cabin crew, pilots and airport workers will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15, while the remainder of its employees will have until March 31, 2022 to be fully jabbed.