Australia Plans Digital Border Pass amid airlines cancel the flights to Australia.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in his 4 phase reopening plan, has foreshadowed a reopening of borders when vaccination rates hit 80 per cent of the adult population.

Home-based testing and quarantine, as well as the digital vaccination certificate and a new digital border pass, would bring Australians closer to international travel and Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has asked the  medical regulator to urgently consider the widespread use of rapid antigen testing in workplaces and for home use to facilitate home based testing to streamline homebased testing and quaranteen procedures.

Yesterday Australia announced it is developing a digital border pass to show the vaccination status of travellers in a step towards further reopening its international border and government awarded Accenture Plc  the tender to deliver the pass that will replace the current Covid-19 travel declaration form and incoming passenger card. 

It “will support the safe re-opening of Australia’s international borders” Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said in a statement. “This will help us to welcome home increasing numbers of Australians, and welcome the tourists, travelers, international students, skilled workers and overseas friends and family we’ve all been missing during the pandemic.” 

However  the hopes of International travel and scores of Australians trying to get home before Christmas have been shattered by a slew of new flight cancellations over the next few months.

While the Federal Government is keen to open the international borders once the vaccination rate lifts, airlines are demanding more clarity about the rules around who can re-enter the country.

Singapore Airlines has blamed a lack of Australian government clarity about international travel on a decision to scrap dozens of pre-Christmas flights.

Singapore Airlines delivered the bad news to passengers on Monday night as a fresh round of international flights in October to December were called off.

Singapore Airlines spokesman Karl Schubert said the company had not been told when international arrival caps would be lifted.

"We've had to make the very difficult decision that we simply can't operate the two additional flights that we were hoping to do into Sydney and to other ports across Australia," he told Australia’s ABC radio on Wednesday.

The major airline has been unable to secure talks with the government.

"That has been frustrating at times, understanding that governments have had quite a lot of work to do and had their focus directed elsewhere," Mr Schubert said.

"What we need to do is get airlines, airports, governments at state and federal level around the same table to talk about how Australia is going to reopen."

However Mr Schubert said more information from government would allow flights to be reinstated. "We have the capacity to move very quickly to reinstate operations where demands warrants." he said.

Australia's international border has been mostly closed to non-residents since March last year to control the spread of the coronavirus, with anyone returning required to undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine.