Qantas has pushed back its resumption of international flights to late December 2021.
The Australian carrier had been due to resume international flights at the end of October.
It said a revision of the Federal Government’s anticipated timelines for the completion of Australia’s vaccine rollout and significant reopening of the country’s borders led to its decision.
Trans Tasman flights, which resumed last month, remain unchanged and will continue to operate.
The airline said: “We remain optimistic that additional bubbles will open once Australia’s vaccine rollout is complete to countries who, by then, are in a similar position, but it’s difficult to predict which ones at this stage.
“This planning assumption will allow the Qantas Group – and Australia – to be ready to take advantage of pockets of tourism and trade opportunity as they emerge in a post-COVID world.
“We will keep reviewing these plans as we move towards December and circumstances evolve.”
Qantas said it will continue to provide repatriation and freight flights overseas, and “support the recovery of travel at home”, noting: “The resurgence of domestic travel remains the most important element of the group’s recovery”.
Customers with booking between October 31, 2021, and December 19, 2021, will be contacted but Qantas said “recent levels of uncertainty meant international booking levels were relatively low”.