Prompting cheers from the Qantas Club lounge, the first quarantine-free flights into Australia have landed.
A flight from Singapore was the first to touch down just before 5.30am (local time) on Monday, with a Qantas flight from Los Angeles in the US following half an hour after.
Travellers from certain countries who fully vaccinated for COVID-19 no longer have to undergo any quarantine measures when arriving in New South Wales or Victoria.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said getting Australians home would be the priority, however the government aims to restart Australia's tourism industry before the end of the year as well.
Queensland is holding to its goal of reaching a 90 percent vaccination level before scrapping quarantine for international arrivals. The state is currently at the 63 percent double-dose mark, with 90 per cent likely to remain unmet until at least January 2022.
International travel for Australians is also back on the cards, with the US, the UK and Thailand now open to Australians heading overseas.
The reopening is expected to bring an AU$1 billion boost to the NSW and Victorian economies, along with a mass return of jobs for airline workers. Qantas and Virgin have both recorded massive spikes in bookings, not only for international travel but also domestic flights.
To qualify for quarantine-free entry to Australia, travellers must have had two doses of a vaccine approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration: AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna. They must also have downloaded the COVID-19 international travel vaccination certificate, and have recorded a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their flight.
