Peak industry body, the Australian Federation of Travel Agents today welcomed Qantas’ ongoing development of its domestic and international networks as an important driver in the recovery of Australia’s Visitor Economy. Confirmation today that a negative pre-departure COVID test will no longer be required from 18 April for full vaccinated travellers entering Australia will be an additional boost however full recovery is still a long way off.
As the recent data analysis[1] from The International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows, Asia-Pacific airlines saw their January international traffic climb 124.4% compared to January 2021, down significantly from the 138.5% gain registered in December 2021 versus December 2020. Capacity rose 54.4% and the load factor was up 14.7 percentage points to 47.0%, still the lowest among regions
Quotes attributable to Dean Long, CEO of AFTA
“The widespread recognition of QANTAS as Australia’s national carrier means this expanded capacity and connectivity will add weight here and overseas to the all-important message that Australia is open again to visitors.”
“News that fully vaccinated travellers can now enter Australia without needing a negative pre-departure COVID test from 18 April is another welcome boost to confidence which we expect to see the result in increased levels of Australians travelling overseas as well as increased arrivals.”
“But it is still a long hard road to recovery for Australia’s Travel and Tourism Sector. Even if everything continues to go right, our sector will not start to normalise before the end of this year. In the meantime, we ask Australians to book through their local Australian travel professionals whether online or direct.”
QF network growth important in recovery of Sector
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