As Victoria records another day of no cases, the NSW Premier Gladys Berejilkian announced yesterday that the borders between Victoria and NSW will be eased, allowing freedom of movement between the two states.
Today, Qantas and Jetstar have announced they will be re-igniting the popular Sydney to Melbourne route on both airlines, as well as other regional routes between the states.
As of the 23rdNovember, Qantas and Jetstar will begin operating more than 250 flights a week, across five different routes. This equals around 48,000 seats connecting the two states.
Prior to the borders opening, only 10 flights a week were operating between the two capitals. Not only is this great news for residents of both states, but also for the airlines: the new routes will see Qantas’s domestic capacity increase from 30% (compared to pre-Covid) to almost 40%.
More aircraft will betaken out of storage, and more employees will be able to return to work.
Qantas Domestic & International CEO, Andrew David said of the decision:
“Pre-COVID, Melbourne-Sydney was the busiest air route in Australia and the second busiest in the world. On a busy day, Qantas and Jetstar would operate more than 100 flights per day between New South Wales and Victoria. During the lockdown, our schedule reduced to as low as one flight a day”.
“November 23 will be a day many people will now be looking forward to. It’s exciting for the family and friends who can finally be reunited after months apart”.
Flights between Sydney and Melbourne will increase as border restrictions are eased.
Qantas will also be relaunching its flights between Bendigo and Sydney as of the 7th December. The route only had a brief premiere before COVID-19 struck, and the news has delighted local regional businesses, who desperately need the boost in tourism.
Both Jetstar and Qantas will increase flights across the routes if there is sufficient demand.
The border reopening means that NSW will now be the first state to unequivocally open borders to the rest of Australia (though technically Victoria isn’t closed to anyone either).
Mr David has openly criticised both Queensland and Western Australian governments for their approach to the reopening of borders, saying it ‘doesn't seem based on a realistic assessment of risk’. The states have also come under fire from the Prime Minister, who has been calling for set reopening dates for weeks.
Hopefully we hear more positive border announcements over the coming weeks.
Jenna Rank
Jenna has visited over 50 countries across the world, and hopes to visit 100 by 2025
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