Emirates has announced it has reversed it’s decision to indefinitely suspend flight to eastern Australia, less than a week after the suspension started.
Flights to Sydney will recommence Monday, Melbourne from Tuesday and Brisbane from Wednesday.
In a statement the airline said, “We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers in the period where we had to temporarily suspend our services. The pandemic has made international flying incredibly challenging, and the dynamic restrictions and requirements implemented by the different state authorities in Australia had added complexity and burden to our operations. This led us to temporarily suspend passenger services while we engaged with various stakeholders regarding crew protocols and other operational details.”
Currently Emirates staff flying to Australia take a PCR test 48 hours before scheduled flight times. In the statement the airline said, “With the latest adjustments, these tests will be administered in their homes, and our crew will also observe self-quarantine in their homes from the moment of testing until their flight. Combined with the hotel quarantine and tests on arrival in Australia, this effectively means that our crew are in a bubble from 48 hours before their flight, until they return to Dubai. This is an added burden for our crew as individuals, for our rostering, and operating costs, and therefore this decision was made after careful review and consideration. We are grateful that our wonderful crew teams are very understanding and supportive, which has enabled us to quickly restart passenger services. The safety of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority, and as always, we work closely with the authorities and health experts in this regard.”
ABC Australia notes that both Qantas and Virgin Australia are operating at 5% pre-pandemic levels.
Current passenger caps from today are:
NSW – 1505 travellers a week
Western Australia – 512 travellers a week
Queensland – 500 travellers a week
Victoria – no change
South Australia – no change (currently 490)
the caps will be reviewed on 15 February.
