Nearly 400 days have passed since international borders were closed off to prevent the spread of COVID-19, crushing the sector and forcing a job cull into the thousands.

However on Monday, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said Monday’s reopening was a momentous occasion in not just reuniting families across the ditch but a significant step in the airline’s recovery.

“The opening of the two-way travel bubble is fantastic for family and friends who are reuniting after so long apart and for the many jobs which are heavily dependent on tourism,” he said.

“The most important thing has been getting people back to work and getting our capability back up and running.”

Close to 630 Qantas and Jetstar workers have been able to return back to normal duties and are set to service 29 flights across 15 destinations, including a new route between the Gold Coast and Auckland.

The current operating schedule is roughly 80 per cent of Qantas’ pre pandemic trans-Tasman flights, however the group expects to increase the number of flights once the winter ski season begins.

Jetstar has also made available half a million flights between the two nations with fares starting at $185 each way.

Mr Joyce said the two-way bubble with NZ was a very good example of potential future bubbles with countries such as Taiwan, Korea, Japan and South Pacific nations.

But he noted these would be subject to the speed of the government’s vaccine rollout and whether travellers vaccinated would still be forced to self-isolate or quarantine in a hotel.

The top boss of the flying kangaroo said mandatory quarantine for vaccinated travellers would hinder the number of inbound people visiting Australia.

Mr Joyce said Australia would likely look to immigration approach similar to Iceland or Israel where vaccination is a requirement upon entry.

“There is a lot of devil in the detail,” he said.

“If you were vaccinated and still had to go into a 14 day quarantine then you are probably not going to travel … unless it is necessary.”

Qantas has been forced to shed more than 8500 jobs from its workforce because of the pandemic.

Jetstar chief executive Gareth Evans said the rebound in demand for flying would mean the low-cost carrier is looking to hire more flight crew.

“We are going to be bigger,” he said.

“Domestically it is because there is a gap in the market where TigerAir was.

“It is an opportunity. We are going to need more people to operate more planes as we grow.”

Surging demand has prompted the group to expect domestic capacity will be above pre-coronavirus levels by financial year 2022.

Jetstar is tipped to be permanently operating at 120 per cent by the next financial year, while Qantas is set to be at a 107 per cent above its pre pandemic operations.

New Zealand was Australia’s second largest source of international visitors before COVID-19 struck.

Last week there were concerns a new case of COVID-19 in Auckland had cast a cloud over the travel bubble.

The new case was a hotel worker at Auckland’s Grand Millennium hotel and a close contact of a hotel security guard who tested positive the week prior.

It was the third case at the hotel in recent weeks after a cleaner tested positive on March 21.