Qantas cancels several international flights until late October

Australian flag carrier Qantas has reportedly suspended several international flights until late October.

The announcement follows indications from the Australian Government to extend border closure to next year.

In a statement sent to the BBC, the airline was quoted as saying: “With Australia’s borders set to remain closed for some time, we have cancelled most international flights until late October.

“We still have some flights scheduled across the Tasman in the coming months, with the expected travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand.”

According to the news agency, Qantas’ domestic passenger numbers increased by two-fold from 32,000 to 64,000 this week.

In March, Qantas Group decided to reduce its international capacity for Qantas Airways and its subsidiary Jetstar Airways by 23% compared with the same period last year, until mid-September due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Earlier this month, Qantas and Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar announced that they are increasing their domestic and regional flying for June and July. The move will see a capacity increase from 5% of pre-coronavirus levels, to 15% by the end of this month.

Last month, the carrier reportedly suspended aircraft deliveries from manufacturers Airbus and Boeing as the pandemic reduces demand.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has estimated that the airlines could lose $84.3bn this year.