Airlines demand end to premiers’ border wars

Business and industry leaders have joined Qantas boss Alan Joyce in calling for an end to the border games crippling the country.

Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka has backed Qantas boss Alan Joyce in his demands for an end to the border games causing widespread disruption to travellers and businesses. Picture: Britta Campion

Business and industry leaders have joined Qantas boss Alan Joyce in demanding an end to the border games crippling Australia’s economy and keeping families apart.

After weeks of silence, Mr Joyce unleashed on the Victorian government on Friday, questioning how it could deny permanent residents the right to return home while allowing more than 1000 foreign tennis players entry for the Australian Open.

He revealed the border closure had resulted in almost 3000 flight cancellations on the Sydney-Melbourne route, with significant social and economic consequences.

“We continue to call for a risk-based, commonsense approach to managing and living with COVID in the community — which means weaning ourselves off these kneejerk border closures as a form of risk management,” Mr Joyce said.

“People need to be able to go home, to move around the country, to get back to business. We can do that if we trust in the systems and the fantastic job Australians have done at following them.”

Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka agreed the current approach to COVID outbreaks was “extremely challenging” for travellers and businesses.

The airline had cancelled more than half the Sydney-Melbourne services scheduled to ­operate in January, along with services out of Brisbane and Perth due to border changes.

“Although the health and wellbeing of Australians must be our first priority, today we feel like a collection of foreign countries,” Ms Hrdlicka said.