Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Qantas announced that its "Sunrise Plan" will be postponed to 2024. CEO Alan Joyce outlined the provisional timetable for the continued implementation of the project: "We still hope to re-propose this plan before the end of 2021, but the aircraft receiving the plan may be in 2024 or later." Alan Joyce believes that In the post-epidemic era, direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London, Paris and New York will be more attractive.
Alan Joyce had previously predicted that Qantas' international passenger traffic would not return to 2019 levels until 2023-2024.
The Sunrise Project is based on a new generation of long-range passenger aircraft that Qantas opens up direct flights between Australia and several major international markets that were previously inaccessible. Qantas previously evaluated the 777X and A350 and determined that it would preferentially select the A350-1000 to fly the sunrise route.
It is worth mentioning that Qantas' pre-pandemic direct flights from London to Perth have also achieved incredible success. According to Joyce, this route was the airline's most profitable route before the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.
Earlier in January, Qantas began selling tickets for 14 international routes from July 1, but this does not mean that tourists can enter Australia, because the government decides when to reopen the border. Australia’s retreat will last until at least 17 March 2021, and there is currently no clear plan to cancel it. Qantas said that they know that international travel may be further delayed, so if customers' travel plans are blocked due to extended border closures, they will provide customers with full refunds, free renewals or travel vouchers.
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