Lift-off for Sydney-Melbourne air route revival

Reopening of NSW-Victoria border hailed as ‘massive boost’ to aviation and travel, amid calls for other states to follow suit.

Qantas takes off from Sydney Airport. The airline will dramatically ramp up capacity into Victoria following the reopening of the border with New South Wales from November 23. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

The reopening of the New South Wales-Victoria border on November 23 will trigger a swarm of flights between Melbourne and Sydney, traditionally Australia’s busiest air route.

Typically carrying more than three quarters of a million travellers a month, the route between the two capitals carried just 9900 people in August.

The CEOs of Melbourne and Sydney Airports were quick to welcome the announcement by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, calling it a “massive boost for the entire aviation and travel industry”.

“The Sydney to Melbourne route was 31 per cent of Sydney Airport’s pre-COVID domestic passenger traffic,” said Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert.

“Again the NSW government is leading the way and living up to the promise that was made at the start of this crisis, that we would learn to live with COVID-19 and keep our economy open.”

He again appealed for premiers in the “hold out states” to follow Premier Berejiklian’s lead.

“It’s time for them to back their health systems, stop playing games with people’s lives and livelihoods, get the borders open and get the country moving again,” Mr Culbert said.

Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi said the announcement would give much-needed certainty to travellers, to airlines, and the thousands of Victorian businesses and staff that depended upon the aviation sector.

“This is a tribute to all Victorians for what they’ve achieved through these many months of sacrifice and loss,” Mr Strambi said.

“We also applaud the commitment of NSW to staying open while keeping people safe. It is now time for all states and territories to ease border restrictions so we can reconnect families and get the economy rolling.”

He said the reopening of the NSW-Victorian border was the first step to rebuilding the second busiest air route anywhere in the world, and reconnecting the two cities that drove so much of Australia’s economic activity.

“Reconnecting Melbourne into Australia’s domestic aviation network will be an enormous boost to the national aviation industry,” said Mr Strambi.

“Pre-COVID, six out of the ten busiest routes in the country originated in Melbourne. Having so much traffic cut off from the network has been a drag on the economic recovery of every other state in the country.”

The NSW announcement was expected to see other states and territories follow suit in coming weeks and reopen to Victoria, with the possible exception of Queensland and Western Australia.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has indicated she will not review borders again until the end of the month.

Qantas and Virgin Australia are expected to announce new flying schedules for New South Wales and Victoria within hours.