After nearly two years of being closed to most foreigners, Australia has finally reopened to the world.
A Qantas flight from Los Angeles touched down in Sydney at 6.20am local time on Monday, marking the start of several friend and family reunions following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.
Australia is welcoming fully vaccinated international travellers from February 21 for the first time since closing its borders to all non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020, in a move to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Vaccinated tourists can fly Down Under and more than 50 international flights will arrive into the country on Monday, including 27 bound for Sydney, Australia's largest city.
Passengers flying into Sydney Airport were greeted with “Welcome Back World!” lettering painted on a sign near the runways.
People dressed in kangaroo costumes were on hand to greet passengers in the airport, alongside a DJ playing music under a banner that read “You were worth the wait".
“It is a party out here, music playing, smiles on people's faces, they will be dancing soon, I'm sure,” Tourism Minister Dan Tehan told broadcaster ABC from Sydney Airport.
Quarantine rules previously meant any eligible arriving passengers had to isolate in government-managed facilities. These restrictions have also been dropped in most states.
Most of Australia is now open to visitors except Western Australia, which has stricter measures in place and will remain closed until March 3.
Travellers in Melbourne also arrived to a welcome committee that included two of the city's top chefs. Frank Camorra of MoVida and Shane Delia of Maha were handing out personal invitations to dine at their respective restaurants.
Flights from Singapore, Phuket, Auckland, Delhi, Doha, London, Dubai and Tokyo are set to land in Melbourne throughout the day.
The return of international tourists marks a critical turning point for aviation and will underpin the recovery of Victoria’s tourism industry, said Melbourne airport's chief of aviation Lorie Argus.
“International airlines are already responding positively to the border changes, with a number of them looking to resume or increase flights to Melbourne," she said.
Thousands of Qantas passengers to fly into Australia this week
Qantas — the national airline of Australia — operated its first flight this morning from Los Angeles, marking what will be the first of many long-awaited reunions for friends and family.
“It is a very exciting day, one that I have been looking forward to for a long time, from the day that I first shut that border right at the start of the pandemic,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Tasmania, an island state that relies heavily on tourism.
The airline said it expects to fly more than 14,000 passengers into Australia this week, with more flights landing today from eight overseas destinations including Vancouver, Singapore and London.
“It’s fair to say we’ve all been waiting a long time to welcome visitors back to Australia,” said Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce. "The thousands of international tourists arriving this week and many more over the coming months will help kickstart the tourism industry which has done it tough for the past couple of years."
The airline is also relaunching several routes in the coming weeks including services to Hawaii, India, Singapore and the Philippines.
Travellers from the UAE are among those keen to get back to Australia, with data from online travel agency Skyscanner showing that February is the most popular time for travel and that Melbourne is the most coveted Australian destination for visitors from the UAE.
Emirates airline has said it would ramp up capacity on flights to Australia from Dubai after noting a rise in travel demand to the country.
Etihad Airways will also operate more flights to Sydney and Melbourne in late March, meaning the national airline of the UAE will fly 14 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Australia.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Company%20profile
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Rajasthan Royals 158-8 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 143/7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals won by 15 runs
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicola%20Coughlan%2C%20Luke%20Newton%2C%20Jonathan%20Bailey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIGHT%20CARD
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