Queensland border reopens ‘for real’ this time

Queensland’s border has opened and closed multiple times in the last 2 years but this time it ‘felt real’.

Paul Gimpel hugs daughter Rebecca Underhill after she arrived on the first flight from Sydney into Brisbane after border restrictions eased. Picture: Getty Images

It was not the first time the Queensland border has reopened in the past two years but in the words of Brisbane Airport chief executive Gert-Jan de Graaff, “This time it felt real”.

Monday’s lifting of quarantine requirements for people travelling from NSW and Victoria triggered a flood of airport arrivals and even more by road.

Mr de Graaff said it was a “fantastic day to be opening the borders again” after similar events in July and December 2020, and February 2021.

“It feels different this time, it feels for real, it feels as if this is going to be permanent,” he said.

“Only last week, we were seeing just a few hundred people fly in from Sydney and Melbourne. Today there’s more than 8000 and that’s fantastic. We have 32 flights from Sydney and 32 flights from Melbourne and it’s only the start.”

While he breathed a sigh of relief at the swelling crowds and busy airport gates, emotion was swirling through the terminal as grandparents met grandchildren for the first time, lovers reunited and sons and daughters returned home.

In the absence of a more suitable song, I Still Call Australia Home rang out through the ­Qantas domestic terminal on high rotation and airline employees beamed.

Qantas crew manager Daryl Wilson said in 30 years of flying he could not recall a more joyous flight than the Sydney-Brisbane service he had just completed.

“There was a buzz throughout the trip,” Mr Wilson said.

“Everyone was happy and ­excited about what was ahead for them, whether that was seeing family or going on holiday. It was a pleasure to be on board.”

Cheers and hugs greeted the passengers in Brisbane, who were led off by Anthony Albanese in a Rabbitohs face mask.

Few even recognised the Labor leader as they scanned the stream of arrivals for their loved ones.

Rob and Maja Fyfe greet their daughter Alexandra Harg and granddaughter Hazel. Picture: John Gass

“There they are,” called Maja and Rob Fyfe when they spotted daughter Alexandra Harg with seven-month-old baby Hazel.

“She’s grown so much,” exclaimed Mr Fyfe, who last saw Hazel shortly after her birth.

“She’s even more beautiful.”

The first flight to arrive from Melbourne brought a fresh bout of tears, despite the Qantas service being filled with mostly business passengers flexing their freedom to travel at last.

Kelli Marriott and daughter Ruby 11, did their best to deliver seven months of missed hugs to son and brother Nick, who turned 18 and graduated from the Royal Australian Navy in the time they were apart.

“I cried three times just waiting for the plane to arrive,” said Ms Marriott. “We’ve really missed him.”

There were no tears from father and daughter Colin and Grace McKibbin as they disembarked the flight at Brisbane, ready for a week at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast.

“I’m looking forward to losing the socks,” Mr McKibbin laughed.

He said it was a great relief to have the freedom to travel again, after escaping the world’s “lockdown capital” Melbourne.

“It’s nice to get into a car and drive somewhere but when you get on a plane, it can take you anywhere,” Mr McKibbin said.

Also beaming was Jetstar chief executive Gareth Evans, who declared “the excitement was palpable” on his flight from Sydney.

“We’ve got 10,000 people travelling into Queensland today across the Qantas Group,” Mr Evans said.

“Last week, Qantas and Jetstar flew 100 flights into Queensland, and this week we’ll fly 700 flights into Queensland.

Next week, we’ll fly 1200 flights. It is that big and that important so it is a really big day for everybody.”