Cash-strapped Qantas could be weeks away from triggering billions of dollars in new refund claims against cancelled international flights.

Overseas bookings from late October through to the end of March next year have been removed from Qantas’ schedule or bookings have been closed, but are yet to be officially cancelled, meaning would-be passengers, who know their plane won’t take off, are left in limbo.

Qantas is not legally obliged to offer a refund until the flights are formally canned, but in an effort to avoid returning cash to customers, the airline has been offering generous travel credits.

“For a lot of people, you could understand why they would want their money back,” Executive Traveller Editor in Chief David Flynn tells Brooke Corte.

Mr Flynn said Qantas is expected to formally cancel those flights as the cut-off date of October 24 approaches, which could see it inundated with requests for around $2 billion in refunds.

Click play to hear the full interview: