Qantas' decision to book flights to the US and UK from July has inspired cautious hope for one Riverina family that has been kept apart by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Denise Crew, originally from the United Kingdom, has been unable to visit elderly family members back in England due to the difficulty in returning to Australia under the capped arrivals policy.
"I do take hope from [Qantas' announcement]. I am a realist, so I won't be booking one of those flights in July but I will be watching it very closely," she said.
"I would love to get back before the end of the year, that's what I'm really hoping for but realistically I'm not sure that the Australian government will reopen the international borders before 2022; that's my opinion."
Ms Crew's father and stepmother are elderly - aged 85 and 77 respectively - but are not unwell. They live in England with Ms Crew's aunt and uncle who are also aged in their 70s.
"I appreciate how lucky I am, living in the Riverina and being unlikely to get sick, but I have extra anxieties because my family are all stuck over there," Ms Crew said.
A Qantas spokesperson told the Australian Associated Press on Tuesday that the airline had "aligned the selling of our international services to reflect our expectation that international travel will begin to restart from July 2021".
Riverina MP and federal Transport Minister Michael McCormack issued a statement in response to Qantas' announcement the reiterated that the Australian government made the decisions on reopening international borders.
Mr McCormack said the health and safety of Australians remained the government's "top priority".
"International borders will be opened when international arrivals do not pose a risk to Australians. Decisions about when international travel resumes will be made by the Australian government," Mr McCormack's statement said.
"The Australian Government is working on travel arrangements with countries, such as New Zealand, that have low community infections.
"Operations and ticket sales on particular routes are commercial decisions for airlines."