Covid 19 coronavirus: Kiwis soar in the first bubble flight transtasman

There is excitement at Auckland Airport, as people have the first opportunity to travel unquarantined to Australia since the Covid 19 outbreak in March.

As of today, New South Wales and the Northern Territory are allowing New Zealanders to enter without the need to quarantine. But those who return to New Zealand will still have to undergo quarantine.

Newstalk ZB’s Khalia Strong is at Auckland Airport, where passengers have arrived for the first flight to Sydney this morning.

She says there is a lot of activity at the international terminal and that people are excited to go home or see their family for the first time in many months.

Airport staff also comment on how good it is to see people back at the international terminal.

Travelers will still face a 14-day quarantine upon returning to New Zealand, at a cost of $ 3,200.

Most of the people booked on the first flight leaving at mid-morning have one-way tickets. Some 200 people are expected to board this morning.

Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said that in order for the airline to continue to carry passengers safely and to identify passengers with non-New Zealand trips, it has introduced “quarantine” and “quarantine-free” flights. “.

“Quarantine-free flights will be for travelers from New Zealand flying from Auckland to Sydney and are not required to self-quarantine upon arrival in Australia.”

Quarantined flights would be open to passengers who do not meet the Safe Travel Zone criteria and will be required to quarantine them upon arrival in Australia.

Flight NZ103 will depart Auckland at 10.40am and will be a quarantine free flight.

Air New Zealand currently operates eight roundtrip flights between Auckland and Sydney per week and will seek to operate two quarantine flights per week, with the remaining flights being quarantine-free.

Passengers are cautioned that if they wish to travel interstate beyond New South Wales, they should ensure that they have verified the state and territorial travel restrictions and have the appropriate exemptions or approvals for travel as these continue to change.

The New Zealand government is working to establish a free two-way quarantine system, but has said it will only do so when it is safe.