Canberra Airport highlights jobs on the line with border closures

Canberra Airport boss leads calls for a clear plan for border reopenings, in order to reignite travel demand.

Canberra Airport has erected billboards ahead of Friday's national cabinet meeting, in the hope of increasing pressure on state and federal governments to reopen borders.

Canberra Airport has erected confronting billboards ahead of Friday’s national cabinet meeting to increase pressure on state and federal governments to reopen borders.

Featuring six workers from various parts of the aviation industry, the billboards aim to highlight the massive job losses throughout the sector as a result of COVID-related travel restrictions.

In addition to the major airlines which are cutting more than 10,000 workers, thousands more people are facing job losses from airports, hotels and other businesses that feed into the aviation industry.

Canberra Airport chief executive Stephen Byron has led calls for a clear plan to be put in place for border reopenings, in order to reignite travel demand.

Since March, Mr Byron has seen passenger numbers through the national capital fall from 9000 a day, to as few as 43, as was the case last Tuesday.

He said the billboards were designed to remind people of the human cost of the border closures.

“When we had COVID first came upon us, everybody knew to keep supporting their local businesses, to buy coffee and takeaway. There’s been a quite lovely sense of loyalty,” Mr Byron said.

“If we’ve got 98 per cent fewer passengers, that means 98 per cent of the jobs are not happening and it’s all through the chain.”

Although Canberra had largely returned to normal after 55-days without a COVID case, Mr Byron said the airport remained a “dark and lonely place”.

“We just had an executive meeting and we took a business person to the terminal after meeting with us and showed them what it’s like,” said Mr Byron.

“They were in shock and horror.”

Despite his frustration about ongoing state border closures and the effect on the airport, Mr Byron said he was optimistic national cabinet would find a solution.

“I suspect the Commonwealth and the Chief Medical Officer had done the hard work to put together a framework and you’d have to think the leaders will embrace that,” he said.

“I’m positive about a quick response and quick rebound. We’ve got airlines wanting to start a new route to Hobart, to the Sunshine Coast. Singapore Airlines wants to start a weekly service back to Canberra in October so we’re ready to roll with the positivity.”

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce stepped up his calls for action on borders at the CAPA Centre for Aviation Summit on Wednesday, saying the point had been reached where “something has to change”.

“Business doesn’t like uncertainty, it needs certainty to make plans for the future. In the tourism industry, 1 million jobs are dependent on it,” said Mr Joyce.

“We have to worry if this keeps going on, those 1 million jobs, those little businesses will not survive. They can’t hold their breath for long enough.”