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Air New Zealand has begun the process of removing the entire cabin crew from the A320 currently on leave in preparation for unquarantined travel to Australia and Rarotonga in early 2021.
All 175 cabin crew have been suspended since June, having chosen that option over redundancy.
Air NZ’s announcement comes after Jacinda Ardern and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown issued a statement last weekend saying there was an agreement to facilitate non-quarantine travel between the two countries.
Last week, the Cabinet also agreed in principle to establish a bubble with Australia in the first quarter of 2021.
Air New Zealand cabin crew general manager Leeanne Langridge said it was “comforting” to make the calls before Christmas.
“We have received incredible feedback from companies across the country about our cabin crew who have volunteered and worked in other industries while on leave,” he said.
“They will now undergo comprehensive refresher training before flying again.
“This is also great news for our airline and Aotearoa as we look forward to reconnecting more New Zealanders with our Pacific neighbors and Australia.”
