On November 22, 2021, Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier, resumed international operations from Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria.
QF 35, Melbourne Tullamarine Airport’s (MEL) first foreign flight in 20 months, departed at 11:50 a.m. local time for Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). It is scheduled to arrive in Singapore around 16:40 p.m. local time.
In a statement, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce stated, “The resuming of our international flights is only possible because of the way Victorians and Australians, in general, have rolled up their sleeves to get the jab.”
“The restart of our international flights is only possible because of the way Victorians and Australians more broadly have rolled up their sleeves to get the jab,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce in a statement.
We’re checking in passengers on our first international flight from Melbourne Airport this morning. QF35 is getting ready for take-off to Singapore! ✈️🇸🇬 pic.twitter.com/hJVi8JIUa9
— Qantas (@Qantas) November 21, 2021
“We are starting to see more and more Victorians booking a much-deserved international getaway, and as borders open up to international visitors we’re expecting to see them visit Melbourne in large numbers, which will give local tourism and hospitality businesses a boost.”
From December 22, 2021, Qantas will launch a brand-new international service from Melbourne to India’s capital, Delhi. This is the first time the airline has flown this route.
The new Melbourne-Delhi service will run four times a week throughout the year. The capital cities of Brisbane, Sydney, and Canberra will also have same-day connections.
Melbourne-Delhi flights would first operate via Adelaide, whereas Delhi-Melbourne flights will be direct.
This follows the airline’s recent announcement of Sydney-Delhi services, which will begin in December 2021.
*NEW ROUTE* From 22 December 2021, we're connecting Victoria to India's capital with the launch of Qantas-operated flights from Melbourne to Delhi. The flight will operate four times a week, year-round: https://t.co/77jKsaEn6M
— Qantas (@Qantas) November 22, 2021
Joyce added: “While the past 20 months has undoubtedly been the most challenging in Qantas’ history, as we emerge from the crisis we are taking new opportunities to broaden our network in response to unprecedented pent-up travel demand. This is helping us bring more Qantas employees back to work.”
According to Federal Government regulations, initial foreign flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate relatives. In the next months, it’s envisaged that this will be expanded to additional travelers.
