Hawaiian Airlines said today it will resume five-times weekly service between Honolulu and Sydney in December, the first restoration of that Australia service since the pandemic stopped it in March 2020.

The new service will begin Dec. 13 with Flight 451, which will depart Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturday at 11:50 a.m. and arrive at Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport at approximately 7:45 p.m. the next day.

Starting Dec. 15, Flight 452 will depart Sydney on Tuesdays and Thursday through Sunday at 9:40 p.m. with a 10:35 a.m. scheduled arrival in Honolulu.

Andrew Stanbury, regional director for Australia and New Zealand at Hawaiian Airlines, said “We are thrilled to reconnect Hawaii and Australia and have been encouraged by the public’s response to Australia’s national vaccination program, enabling the reopening of borders.

“Hawaii is a hugely popular holiday destination for Australians, and we know many people have been keenly waiting to take a Hawaiian vacation,” he added. “We are looking forward to safely welcoming our guests back on board to enjoy the authentic hospitality we know our guests love and have missed.”

This latest restoration of Hawaiian service follows an announcement from Gov. David Ige last week that starting Nov. 1 Hawaii would welcome back vaccinated travelers for nonessential travel.

Currently, only Australian citizens and returning permanent residents and their immediate family members are permitted to enter Australia without an exemption.

The U.S. government has ruled that starting Nov. 8 international arrivals may enter the U.S. with proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19. test taken within three days of departure. But it’s still unclear if Hawaii plans to align its requirements for international travelers to the federal requirements.

Currently, Hawaii only allows international travelers from Japan, South Korea, Canada, or French Polynesia to submit tests from Trusted Testing Partners for the purposes of bypassing the state’s 10-day traveler quarantine. Hawaii only allows vaccination exemptions for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States or U.S. Territories.

Hawaiian said it started its Sydney-Honolulu service in May 2004 and has maintained its position as a leading destination carrier for travel to Hawaii via New South Wales. The carrier’s three-times-weekly service between Honolulu and Brisbane Airport, which launched in November 2012, remains paused.