Prime minister Scott Morrison has said that a travel bubble agreement between Australia and Singapore could be finalised within days. This would allow free movement between the two nations and would be the first official international deal, aside from the brief travel bubble between Australia and its nearest neighbour New Zealand, to allow foreign tourists back into the country since the nation’s borders were sealed in March 2020.
“We are in the final stages of concluding an arrangement with the Singapore government. I was in a position, as you know, some months ago when I met with the prime minister of Singapore, prime minister Li in Singapore, to set up a new arrangement which will see our borders open more quickly to Singapore,” Morrison said at an early morning press conference from Qantas’ Hanger 96 at Sydney Airport, where the PM was appearing alongside Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet to speak about post-pandemic international travel.
“We anticipate that being able to be achieved within the next week or so, as we would open up to more visa class holders coming out of Singapore. We will see that occur,” he added.
Morrison said Australia was “ready for take-off,” adding that several states and territories in Australia were preparing to announce plans to reestablish international travel for vaccinated Australian citizens, residents and their immediate families. As NSW prepares to allow quarantine free international travel for double-jabbed Aussies from November 1, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the nation’s principal airline would be bringing forward its timetable for reestablishing long-haul routes to the Northern Hemisphere and the United States. A new Sydney to Darwin to London route will recommence from November 1, and just in time for Christmas on December 25, Qantas will begin flying its A380 fleet again, to service its Sydney to LA route.
Flights to Singapore with come online from the end of November and to Fiji – which has already announced it will be permitting the entry of vaccinated Australians – from early January. Routes to Bangkok will commence from the end of January.