Australia: Qantas, Australia's largest airline, will soon expand its services to include the country's only direct flights to Europe. The announcement comes a day after WA Premier Mark McGowan said the state's internal and international borders would reopen on February 5 after being closed for several months due to Covid-19.

Qantas will begin offering return flights three times a week from Sydney, Australia's largest city, to Perth, Western Australia (WA), and then nonstop to Rome, Italy's capital, beginning in June. The service, which will use Boeing 787 Dreamliners with long-haul cabins, will shave more than three hours off current journey times.

Overseas travellers would still be required to submit a negative Covid polymerase chain reaction test three days prior to their arrival in WA and be tested again upon arrival, but if vaccinated, they would not have to spend time in quarantine, according to McGowan.

Strong travel demand since the borders reopened has given the "Flying Kangaroo" confidence to explore new locations, according to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who said that in a post-pandemic world, many Australians prefer non-stop overseas flights.

"We think customers will adore flying direct to one of the world's great cities," Joyce said. "Italy is our largest market in continental Europe for people visiting family and friends from Australia."

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