Direct flights from New Zealand to Melbourne to resume from Monday

Melbourne could start receiving direct international flights from Monday with Victoria to officially join the trans-Tasman travel bubble.

Direct international flights from New Zealand into Melbourne will be allowed to resume from Monday.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Friday that he had written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison that morning confirming the flights could resume on November 9.

“That is direct flights into Tullamarine from New Zealand so that New Zealanders will be able to travel direct to Melbourne and throughout Victoria,” Mr Andrews said.

“While we found ourselves inadvertently in the New Zealand bubble, I’m not sure if bubbles have doors but the front door will now be (open).”

The Premier said New Zealanders would not have to quarantine when they arrived in Melbourne.

“Rather than people coming here via another state, the back door of the bubble, now is the time, because cases are so low, we’re opening up, we can have flights coming from New Zealand direct into our city and state,” he said.

Airlines have welcomed the announcement as good news for people wanting to travel directly to Melbourne and Victoria.

Qantas has been operating a very limited Tasman schedule since the bubble opened on October 16 due to demand and the need for passengers to quarantine in New Zealand.

The airline said it would continue to monitor the situation.

Melbourne Airport will start receiving international flights again from New Zealand on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Mr Andrews said the next logical step after Monday would be to reboot hotel quarantine as soon as possible and receive flights with returned overseas travellers.

But he said the government would wait until after they received advice from the Board of Inquiry’s interim report, which was expected to be released at noon on Friday, to make any announcements regarding hotel quarantine.

“We’ll be able to have landing in Melbourne again flights right across the world,” Mr Andrews said.

“That will be a challenge though, because as Victoria is reporting very low numbers, Australia is reporting very low numbers, (in) so many parts of the world this virus is completely and utterly out of control.

“The likelihood of people wanting to return into our country, and returning with the virus, is obviously higher than it’s ever been.

“That will be a real challenge but I think we’re equal to it.”

Melbourne Airport has remained largely empty during Victoria’s second wave. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Crosling

Victoria hasn’t accepted any overseas arrivals apart from less than 100 health and maritime workers with travel exemptions since late June when the hotel quarantine inquiry was announced.

Victoria recorded its seventh straight day of zero new coronavirus cases and no deaths on Friday.

Mr Andrews said it would be up to individual airlines and the airport as to when the first flight would land in Melbourne, but they would be allowed to do so from Monday.

“It may not happen from Monday but that when we’re happy to have it happen,” he said.

“I think Melbourne Airport will be very keen to have those flights land.”

[e-mail]