Australia's biggest airline Qantas is planning to increase its domestic flight operations as the country's Covid-19 outbreak comes under control.
Qantas and its budget arm Jetstar plan to increase flight capacity to 15pc of normal levels by the end of June from 5pc now, equating to over 300 additional flights a week. Flights may return to 40pc of pre-coronavirus levels by the end of July, depending on travel demand and state border controls.
Qantas slashed its flight schedule in March, before resuming a limited number of flights a month later backed by government funding.
Australian jet fuel sales fell to a decade-low of 114,000 b/d in March, down by 29pc from a year earlier, according to the most recent government data. Domestic production stood at 47,000 b/d and imports at 91,000 b/d in March.
Demand is likely to fall much more sharply in April, when flight curbs intensified. Passenger numbers at Australia's busiest airport, Sydney, fell by 97.5pc in April.
State governments including New South Wales have started allowing regional travel as Covid-19 cases fall. There were only eight new cases in Australia in the last 24 hours, down from a peak of almost 500 a day in late March, according to government figures. Australia has a total of 7,299 cases and 102 deaths.
