Scott Morrison announces end of India travel ban, charter flights from May 15

Three flights will focus on 900 vulnerable Aussies from May 15.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the India travel ban will end on May 15. Picture: AFP

Scott Morrison says three repatriation charter flights will bring vulnerable Australians stranded in India home when the flight suspension ends on May 15.

The Prime Minister said he anticipated three flights during May that would focus on bringing the 900 people classified as “vulnerable” back to Australia. The returning citizens will quarantine at the Howard Springs facility near Darwin.

“In addition there will be rapid antigen testing in place for everyone getting on these flights,” he said.

Mr Morrison said the flight ban and biosecurity order had “proved very effective” and would be in place until May 15.

Charter flights will begin that day, a joint statement from the federal government and NT government says.

No decision has been made on the resuming of commercial flights from India.

“The challenge we’ve had in terms of previous arrivals out of India has been the higher incidence of infection that we’re seeing in those arrivals and the stress that that was placing on the quarantine system,” he said.

“Whether at the national quarantine facility that we find to the tune of some half a billion dollars up in Northern Territory, or elsewhere around the country.”

Mr Morrison said the resumption of commercial flights with India would also be a focus of discussions between the state and territory leaders at the national cabinet meeting today.

“So I’ll be advising the premiers and chief ministers on that decision this morning, and then we’ll be working on the many other matters that we need to attend to that the government has made no decision yet on the restarting of normal commercial flights from India,” he said.

Foreign Minister reveals productive talks with India

Earlier, Senator Marise Payne said she had had discussions with her Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday, and that on the basis of health advice “we fully expect it (the ban) not to be extended beyond that date, and we intend for facilitated flights to resume beyond.’’

In a bruising press conference inside Australia House on The Strand, Ms Payne deflected a question whether she felt shame in threatening Australian citizens with jail for wanting to return home. She said the Biosecurity Act has been applied on “a very small number of occasions’’ and still applies to the arrival of any cruise ships into Australian waters.

“My understanding is that if a cruise ship was to enter Australia in contravention of the declaration, it would be in similar breach of the Act, and the penalties and penalties would apply,’’ she said.

Senator Payne also disagreed with a television reporter that it was embarrassing for Australians to be told to go to a third country, transferring the burden of possible infection to a smaller nation, as many Australians wait out the two weeks elsewhere before trying to come back into Australia.

“I absolutely disagree with the premise of your question and I absolutely disagree with it, having supported over 19,000 Indians (arriving into Australia) in the last year,’’ Senator Payne told journalists.

“It is a temporary pause of those flights to ensure we can deal with the challenges the surging rate was presenting in India and therefore in arrivals from India.’’

Senator Payne said the Indian government was very much focused on their domestic situation and had not raised Australia’s threats against Australians currently in India.

“The Indian government did not ask us to lift that ban, the Indian government represented in my discussions with my foreign minister counterpart yesterday, spoke more about the circumstances that they are dealing with and the challenges that they are dealing with.’’

Senator Payne said Australia had “deep concern’’ about the challenges that India is facing.

“We express again our full support to India, we were pleased to be able to progress the delivery of some important medical supplies that India needed, and in consultation with their authorities, which arrived via Qantas flight yesterday.’’

Senator Payne acknowledged the difficulty of dealing with the pandemic, saying it was the most difficult time of this generation. She was speaking from inside the Australian High Commission in London from where tens of thousands of ex-pat Australians have been trying to get home despite the high barriers of flight caps, expensive flights, repeated flight cancellations and high quarantine costs. The latest estimate is that nearly 40,000 are still registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs trying to return to Australia.

Senator Payne, who has been allowed to travel outside of Australia, will once again have the luxury of being able to quarantine at home after her trip, which includes a visit to Geneva and then to Washington.

Passengers are escorted through the arrivals area of terminal 5 towards coaches destined for quarantine hotels, after landing at Heathrow airport.

‘‘The hotel quarantine process is one which has served Australia well. It is not possible for me to do my job in a public hotel,’’ Senator Payne said.

‘’And on that basis. I have sought to make an application (for an exemption) that will be made to the New South Wales Government.’’

Senator Payne said there had been 512,000 Australians able to return home during the pandemic.

“There is no question that this is the one of the most difficult periods of time that our generation has ever lived through, no question …. I don‘t think there is anyone who would say that we are not acutely aware of the challenge that this has presented to many Australians around the world.’’

Meanwhile on China, Senator Payne said she was “disappointed’’ that China had suspended economic dialogue with Australia, as it has been a “valuable tool for ministers to engage’’ in Treasury and finance.

“We have been very clear that we were willing and able to participate in an ongoing Strategic and Economic Dialogue that is ultimately a decision for China … Australia is very ready to engage in dialogue with our counterparts at any level,’’ she said.

Additional reporting: Rhiannon Down