Coronavirus: Canberra plan, as thousands back trans-Tasman flights

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has appealed to Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern to launch a trans-Tasman travel bubble.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Picture: AAP

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has appealed to Scott Morrison and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to launch a trans-Tasman travel bubble from Canber­ra and Wellington, as more than 3000 people register their interes­t in making the trip.

While the Prime Minister urges states to make clear what date next month they will reopen their borders, The Australian can reveal 2283 people said they would like to fly between the countries’ capital cities in the next three months. Many indicated they would be travelling with others, bringing an extra 1098 people on the flights.

Since Canberra Airport published its register of interest last Thursday, 867 people have signed up for a flight on July 1; 502 want to take a flight on July 2; 594 say they want to make the journey in the next month; 183 would take the flight in August; and 137 would go on the trip in September.

Those who have registered have been promised they will be emailed a booking link for the flights as soon as they are released, with the caveat that approval from the Australian and New Zealand governments may delay the trips “by up to seven-10 days and is also subject­ to a continuation of good health outcome”.

The Morrison government has dismissed the July timeframe for restarting Australia-New Zealand flights, with senior sources saying September was more likely, while Ms Ardern has vowed not to open up her country until coronavirus cases here declined further.

Of the people who have registered for Canberra-Wellington flights, 49 per cent say they would use the trip to visit friends and family, 29 per cent are holidaymakers and 11 per cent respectively will return home or travel for business.

Mr Barr, who with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Canberra Airport is pushing for the flights, said there would be limited passengers and flights initially to test systems and any impacts on the coronavirus caseload.

“The airports of both cities would be able to scale increases in services efficiently and provide a template for expansion of services to other destinations,’’ he writes in letters to Mr Morrison and Ms Ardern.

“Importantly, both airports are ready to support air services now.

“Canberra is the first capital city in Australia to report zero active­ cases of COVID-19 and has been COVID-free for several weeks. It is the safest and most secure­ destination in Australia from which to operate air services.

“The city offers a modern airport­ with flexibility to trial new services and passenger processing methods … Connecting the capital cities of Australia and New Zealand would not only be symbolic, safe and secure but also a viable route for airlines to operate.”

The Morrison government’s preference is for all Australian state borders to reopen before restarting­ travel with New Zealand but Mr Morrison has said he would be prepared to let residents of NSW fly across the Tasman first if other states remained closed.

ACCI’s executive chair of tourism John Hart said 850 businesses and individuals had reached out to him to endorse the Canberra-Wellington flight proposal since it was announced last week.