Airlines ramp up as restrictions are lifted.

Qantas will restart international flights from Melbourne to London and Singapore in November, in line with Victoria abandoning quarantine for all fully-vaccinated travellers from the 1st November. The airline says there'll initially be two return Boeing 787 flights a week between Melbourne and London starting on the 6th November (six weeks earlier than previously planned), ramping up to daily from the 18th December. In anticipation of the launch of quarantine-free travel between Australia and Singapore, Melbourne-Singapore flights will now take off from the 22nd November, with three Airbus A330 runs per week, stepping up to daily from the 18th December. 

Flights from Melbourne to Los Angeles will restart as planned from the 19th December.

Qantas also intends to begin flights between Sydney and Delhi from the 6th December 2021 as the airline revs up its return to international skies. The route will begin at three flights per week, "building to daily flights by end of the year." Qantas says it plans to run the flights "until at least late March 2022, with a view to continuing if there is sufficient demand."

Although flights from Sydney to Delhi will run via Darwin, the flights from Delhi to Sydney would be nonstop.
QF67 will depart Sydney at 6.05am to reach Darwin at 9.05am; after a 90 minute stopover, it's onwards to Delhi for a 3.35pm touchdown.

QF68 return leg leaves Delhi at 6pm and heads straight to Sydney to land at 11.45am the following day.

Jetstar will also recommence flying four times a week between Melbourne and Singapore on its own Boeing 787, a route it hasn't flown since 2019.

Singapore Airlines has now opened all seats for sale on its twice-daily flights between Singapore and Melbourne from the 1st of November, in line with the Victorian government's removal of quarantine and arrivals caps for fully-vaccinated travellers. The Star Alliance member, which has kept flying to and from Melbourne despite the limited number of passengers – instead focusing on cargo and 'essential travel' – welcomed the announcement as "another welcome step on the road to recovery," in the words of Regional Vice President Louis Arul. Seats on the daily SQ218 and SQ228 flights from Singapore – and their SQ217 and SQ237 return legs – were available from the Singapore Airlines website and through travel agents from 8pm Friday October 22nd. Together with Singapore Airline's Sydney flights, the Star Alliance member now lists 31 flights a week to Australia's two major gateways.

Qatar Airways will resume daily flights to both Sydney and Melbourne from the 1st December, making it easier for Australians to plan that long-awaited international trip, as well as helping bring home more Australians who remain overseas. While the Qantas partner and Oneworld member has been running a pared-back schedule throughout the pandemic, it's among the airlines which has continued connecting Australia with the rest of the world. That includes flights to Brisbane, which the airline hopes to continue across 2022 and beyond.

Cathay Pacific also has joined the growing list of airlines returning to Sydney and Melbourne from the 1st November. The Oneworld member will make all seats on its Hong Kong-Sydney and Hong Hong Kong-Melbourne flights available for travellers beginning their journey in Hong Kong or connecting from other parts of the world, subject to transit requirements, and provided they are "fully-vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family."

Cathay Pacific has confirmed the following restart schedule effective Monday the 1st November 2021:

Hong Kong-Sydney.
CX101 departs every day at 11.55pm to reach Sydney at noon the following day.
CX139 departs Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at 8.45am, arriving into Sydney at 8.50pm.

Sydney-Hong Kong.
CX100 departs 3.45pm each day, reaching Hong Kong at 9.55pm.
CX138 departs Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at 10.20pm, arriving into Hong Kong at 5am the next day.

Hong Kong-Melbourne.
CX105 departs every day at 12.25am to reach Melbourne at 12.25pm the following day.
CX163 departs Tuesday and Thursday at 11am, arriving into Melbourne at 11pm.

Melbourne-Hong Kong.
CX104 departs 3.40pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, reaching Hong Kong at 9.45pm.
CX178 departs Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1am, arriving into Hong Kong at 6.55am the next day.

Fiji Airways says the Pacific nation is said to be on track "to have the entire working population fully vaccinated by November," with its borders slated to reopen its borders "before Christmas" and the airline resuming flights to Australia at that time.

The airline's network connects Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to the tourism gateway of Nadi, on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu; its revised restart schedule is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The websites of Fiji Airways is now showing flights between Nadi and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all resuming from the 1st December.

Under Australian government regulations, bookings are only available to fully-vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and 'eligible non-citizens' – with the flights tagged as being "For Eligible Passengers Only" (FEPO).

Here's the checklist supplied by Airlines, which advises that "eligibility to travel on these services is determined by the Australian Government and must at least meet the following criteria:"

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, an immediate family member of an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or a non-Australian citizen or permanent resident holding a valid visa and a travel restriction exemption.
• have been fully-vaccinated with a TGA approved or recognised vaccine, and
• have a vaccine certificate that meets the Australian Government’s authenticity and verification requirement