Qantas will maintain the rule requiring international arrivals to be vaccinated against COVID despite the government’s move to end the vaccination requirement.
From 12:01am tomorrow morning, people will be able to enter Australia without having to declare their vaccination status.
The change also means that overseas arrivals will no longer have to complete a digital passenger declaration (DPD) form.
The Australian reported that a Qantas spokeswoman indicated they had no immediate plans to relax the vaccination requirement for international arrivals.
The flying kangaroo imposed a vaccine mandate for its employees last year, but it’s facing a court challenge from several staff, some of whom were sacked for refusing to get vaccinated.
However, some in the travel have welcomed the rule change.
Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said the changes would have a two-pronged impact.
“This removes another hurdle for international travellers as they weigh up which country to visit,” de Graaff said.
“Australia is competing for every tourist dollar, and for thousands of potential visitors, this will make us a more attractive destination.”
Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) CEO Dean Long said the update would speed up processing times for airports amid massive travel demand both domestically and internationally.
“These final steps in returning travel to normal could not come at a better time,” Long said.
“With school holidays underway or about to kick off in many states and territories, and a rapidly growing number of Australians keen to escape the Australian winter, the pressure on our airports and airport staff is huge.
“Removing these last requirements will help reduce delays in airports and make it easier for Australians coming back home.
“Australia’s travel professionals look forward to continuing to work with the Federal Government on the practicalities of the DPD as we move towards it replacing the paper-based incoming passenger card.
“The current digital approach had multiple issues which meant it wasn’t working for any of the participants and AFTA has been pushing hard on the need to take a step back and get it right.”
Overseas airlines flying to Australia were being briefed on the changes by the Federal Government.
