Qantas boss Alan Joyce mocks WA Premier Mark McGowan over new opening date

Qantas boss Alan Joyce has hit out at Western Australia’s Premier Mark McGowan, slamming the state’s reopening as “disorderly”.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce has hit out at West Australian Premier Mark McGowan once again, just days after the announcement the state’s borders will reopen on March 3.

Appearing on Channel 7’s Sunrise on the morning of the international border reopening for tourists around the world, Mr Joyce said the announcement that Western Australian will reopen to the country just one month after the original date of February 5 was “disorderly” and “could have been done a lot better”.

“I certainly do not know what the extra month has given us and Perth,” Mr Joyce mocked.

“We were planned, ready and organised to open up on February 5. Now we are struggling to meet the 3rd March because we have people on leave. It is a disorderly opening but we will put a capacity on but it could have been done a lot better than this and it is all for a month.”

Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce has taken another swipe at WA Premier Mark McGowan. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP

Mr Joyce accused the McGowan government’s border reopening as ‘disorderly’. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Mr Joyce said the reopening of WA to the rest of the country meant the divide between the east and the west would finally be put to rest.

“We have one country again,” he said.

“Finally our country will be reunited. We are no longer North Korea and South Korea.”

"Finally our country is reunited, we're no longer North Korea and South Korea!" @Qantas boss Alan Joyce is counting down the days until WA finally reopens its border after another "disappointing" delay caused chaos for the airline. pic.twitter.com/wLbunfnshs

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) February 20, 2022

It’s not the first time Mr Joyce has taken a hit at the Premier.

Earlier this month, Mr Joyce sensationally claimed Western Australia is “starting to look like North Korea” with its hard line border closure.

“You can’t even travel around your own country … it’s starting to look like North Korea,” he said.

“We thought we had a date for that border to be opened … but that was stepped back from, it’s disappointed tens of thousands of people that had booked to go to WA.

“I think we should all be a bit outraged by it … we’re supposed to be all Australians.”

Mark McGowan said the new date does not coincide with his work trip to Sydney. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images.

Mr Joyce’s comments on Monday come just days after McGowan was forced to defend the new border reopening date aligning with his return from Sydney.

The Premier’s reopening announcement comes amid a court battle with Clive Palmer. The mining magnate is suing Mr McGowan for defamation, while the Premier is countersuing Mr Palmer in the Federal Court in NSW.

The Premier will be required to travel to Sydney to give his testimony in person, but insisted the timing of the new border reopening date was a “coincidence”.

“It is a coincidence that when I return, the border will come down a couple of days later,” he said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

“That’s a coincidence I haven’t been able to avoid. If I can finish what I’m saying. It’s a coincidence I am unable to avoid that I return from Sydney, I am in quarantine when the border comes down. I will be doing seven days of quarantine.

“I will be in a hotel room, working from there, doing a full seven days and just so there can be no argument that somehow, by anyone, that somehow this was put in place to benefit myself.”

The Premier said he “can’t have it said that in some way this was put in place to benefit me” and he was “trying to do the right thing here”.

Meanwhile, Australia’s international borders have reopened, in a momentous occasion for the country, the tourism and aviation industries after being closed to foreign holiday-makers since March 2020.

International travel is back. Picture: Philip Fong/AFP

From February 21, ‘Fortress Australia’ has finally reopened international borders to vaccinated tourists without quarantine requirements for the first time since 9pm on Friday March 20, 2020.

Since November, the federal government has gradually reopened to select visa holders, international students and backpackers – but from Monday February 21 – international tourists, business travellers, family and friends will be welcomed back to Australia once again without needing to spend time in a quarantine facility upon arrival.

It’s the reopening Australia – and tourism operators around the country – have been eagerly waiting for.

Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the reopening of Australia’s border to all overseas travellers was the injection of confidence the aviation industry needed after a difficult summer period.

“As an industry we haven’t had the summer period we were hoping for, however, in this industry there is always a point in which things start to turn around and today is that point,” said Ms Hrdlicka, adding the airline will resume services between Sydney and Fiji on March 10, 2022.

“It’s a wonderful day for our team members who are the face of our generous and hospitable country and I know they share in the excitement to once again have international travellers on-board Virgin Australia flights, exploring all that our great nation has to offer.

Virgin Australia boss says the border reopening was the injection of confidence the aviation industry needed after a difficult summer period. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Since the announcement of Australia’s reopening to all overseas travellers, we have seen positive trends in bookings across our domestic network as a result of increased consumer confidence. This will no doubt flow through to our short-haul international services which are due to recommence next month.

“Consumer confidence is also being buoyed by the gradual removal of work-from-home orders across our states and territories, and the recent announcement of the reopening of Western Australia from March 3.

“While there will continue to be some ups and downs throughout 2022, we are feeling really positive about the year ahead and will keep being flexible and adapting to the challenges that the pandemic presents us with.”