NZ flight plan to test the ‘trans-Tasman bubble’
Australians will be able to register for flights to New Zealand in July to test whether the trans-Tasman bubble is safe.
Australians will now be able to register their interest for flights to New Zealand in July, amid a concerted push from the business community to use a Canberra-Wellington route as a guinea pig to test whether the trans-Tasman bubble is safe.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will unveil the full details of its proposal on Thursday for what it hopes will be the first tourist flights out of the country since Scott Morrison banned Australians from travelling overseas in March.
A group of politicians, business representatives and journalists would fly between Wellington and Canberra on the first return flight, which would be followed by a regular service for the public between the two capital cities.
The flights would take place for a number of weeks before being extended to other destinations in Australia and New Zealand.
Passengers would be able to travel around the countries once they land but would have to follow local restrictions, including state border closures in Australia.
Canberra Airport will on Thursday open a register of interest for the Wellington flights on July 1 and 2, which it expects will be with Air New Zealand and Qantas, with a caveat that the dates may have to be pushed back subject to government approval.
“Businesses are wanting to escalate the Australia-New Zealand bubble because it’s just not happening fast enough to keep them in business,” ACCI’s executive chair of tourism John Hart told The Australian.
“We’re not seeing domestic movements pick up quick enough, so we need the bubble to get the tourism activity.”
Under the proposal, which has also been endorsed by the Wellington, Auckland and Canberra chambers of commerce, all Australian passengers would be “pre-tested” for the coronavirus as a condition of boarding to ensure they were not sick.
New Zealand passengers arriving in Australia would also be encouraged to use the Morrison government’s COVIDSafe app.
ACCI has ploughed ahead with its plan for the first international flights to begin in July but senior government sources said priority was being given to easing domestic coronavirus restrictions. They said it was likely trans-Tasman flights were still a few months away, even if COVID-19 continued to be suppressed in both countries.
“I am confident that both Australia and New Zealand will be ready and willing to progress as soon as the health advice allows and all necessary safeguards are in place,” Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham told The Australian.
“While I want this to happen as soon as possible, I wouldn’t quite put a timeline on it yet. New Zealand is the first and, right now, the only international market that we could safely and easily agree to open up to.”
Eve Lawrence, general manager of New Zealand-based ANZ Nature Tours and Haka Tours, said the umbrella company Haka Tourism Group was worth $30m but had no revenue coming in since late March.
She was hopeful the Trans-Tasman bubble would open in July and said the business could continue to survive by relying on the Australian tourism market for the remainder of the year.
“I’m ready to welcome the Australians with open arms. They’re 40 per cent of our Haka Tourism Group revenue. They’re a big portion of our business, particularly for snow,” Ms Lawrence said.
“We do snow tours, safari and nature tours and self-drive itineraries. Self-drive tours around New Zealand and Australia will be up there on people’s list, hopefully.”
Her sentiments are shared by ANZ Nature Tours operations manager Evelyn Smith and account manager Hannah Ploeger, who can’t wait for Australian tourists to return.
The Australian understands the Prime Minister’s Office, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly and a number of cabinet ministers and government agencies and departments have been consulted about ACCI’s plan.
Canberra Airport managing director Stephen Byron said September was too late a timetable for the trans-Tasman bubble to begin. “You’ve got businesses hanging on for dear life where every day matters. If we delay this by a matter of months or indeed four to six weeks beyond July 1, you’re guaranteeing significant bankruptcy in the tourism sector that could be averted,” he said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is preparing to scrap her country’s social distancing measures altogether, saying churches will be able to return to full service and sports and concert stadiums sold out.
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