Perth to reopen to international travellers in February 2022

While Singaporeans can currently visit Australia without quarantine, they’re effectively limited to Sydney and Melbourne. That’s because only New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC) have reopened (fine- ACT too, but there’s no flight to Canberra), while the rest of the states remain closed. 

But today comes some good news: Western Australia (WA), and Perth by extension, will open its borders to international travellers from 5 February 2022.

Perth already has one of the largest Singaporean populations outside of Singapore, and was a popular destination for Singapore travellers pre-pandemic. 

Western Australia to reopen from February 2022

WA today announced that it will ease interstate and international border restrictions from 12.01 a.m on 5 February 2022, reopening the state after almost two years of closure. 

The reopening date is based on when WA is expected to hit a 90% fully vaccinated rate for eligible individuals aged 12 years and above. The date has already been locked-in, regardless of this target is actually hit- but further restrictions will remain for regions of WA with <80% fully vaccinated. 

International arrivals will be required to:

• Complete the Australia Travel Declaration at least 72 hours before departure
• Take a PCR test within 72 hours of departure to Western Australia
• Take a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival in Western Australia and on Day 6 (the day of arrival is counted as Day 0)

There will be no quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated international arrivals. However unvaccinated international arrivals will continue to have to quarantine for 14 days, either in a designated hotel or a quarantine facility. 

The requirement to be fully vaccinated is waived for those aged below 12. Those aged below 5 will be exempt from COVID-19 testing. 

Masks will still be required to be worn in high-risk indoor settings such as:

• on public transport, taxis or ride share services;
• at airports and on flights; and
• by visitors to hospitals, residential aged care, disability care or custodial corrections facilities.

Proof of vaccination will also be required for those aged 16 and above at:

• venues or events with 1,000 or more patrons;
• nightclubs;
• the Crown complex; and
• the four major stadia (Optus Stadium, RAC Arena, HBF Stadium and HBF Park)

It sounds like WA will be introducing its own version of a vaccine passport, with an app set to be released in early 2022. There’s no word as to how international visitors will show their proof of vaccination in day to day settings, but one step at a time I suppose. 

Flights to/from Perth

Singapore Airlines is currently operating flights to Perth on SQ223 and SQ225, but they’re not open for sale to the general public (probably cargo-only). The earliest flights you can book to Perth are from 1 March 2022, though I’m sure they’ll bring this forward soon.

From 5 February 2022, VTL flights from Perth have been loaded as follows:

As a reminder, these will appear with a VTL label- don’t book the wrong flights!

There’s no restriction on the flight you can take to Perth, but you’ll need to take a designated VTL flight back to Singapore to enjoy an SHN waiver. 

Award costs

If you’re interested in redeeming miles, here’s how much it costs to redeem flights between Singapore and Perth on Singapore Airlines. Flights are currently operated by B787-10s, so there’s only two cabins available. 

Redemption Cost between Singapore and Perth (Flight on Singapore Air)
	Saver (One-Way)	Advantage (One-Way)
Economy	20,000	37,000
Business	36,500	65,000

For a review of the B787-10 Business and Economy Class experience, check out the links below:

• Review: Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class SIN-ICN
• Review: Singapore Airlines B787-10 Business Class ICN-SIN

Conclusion

WA will be accepting international travellers from 5 February 2022, which is great news for Singaporeans longing for a visit to Margaret River. 

Given how popular Perth is as a destination, I expect we’ll hear more details about updated flight schedules and the all-important VTL flights soon. 

Anyone planning travel to Perth?