Qantas posts $1.7 billion loss and tips travel by Christmas

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Qantas Group has posted a $1.7 billion pandemic-related annual loss and forecast Australia will reopen to international travel in December. The airline company said it expects flights to countries with high vaccination rates including the United States, Britain, Japan and Singapore would resume in mid-December. It predicted flights to countries with lower vaccination rates including Indonesia and the Philippines would restart from April next year at the earliest. Its estimates are based on vaccination rates in Australia. But the airline said travel into Australia was uncertain. It noted demand would be very low if Australia continued to require new arrivals to stay in hotel quarantine for 14 days.