COVID-19: Air New Zealand cancels Australian flights

All passengers entering New Zealand at the moment are required to spend 14 days in mandated hotel based quarantine.

Quarantine facility management

In an attempt to better manage New Zealand’s quarantine facilities, Air NZ, at the request of the NZ government has cancelled flights to and from Australia for the next three weeks. This follows a media release from the airline on Tuesday (7 July 2020) announcing the suspension of new bookings on the trans-Tasman route for 3 weeks.

It was noted in that release that the airline might look at ‘aligning daily arrivals with the capacity available at managed isolation facilities.’

Regulation of incoming passenger numbers

Well, now they have, and as of today (Thursday 9 July) there are no Air New Zealand flights available from Australian cities until the end of July. Some NZ destinations such as Wellington and Christchurch are showing no arrivals from Australia until September.

“We accept this is a necessary short-term measure given the limited capacity in quarantine facilities and we’re keen to do what we can to help New Zealand’s continued success in its fight against COVID-19.”

Cam Wallace, Air New Zealand Chief Commercial and Customer Officer

With as many as 5,500 passengers booked to travel back to New Zealand on Air NZ in the next three weeks, the government could see that quarantine resources were set to be swamped. Flights from other destinations in Asia and the USA to New Zealand could also be suspended.

Other airlines affected

The NZ government is also liaising with other major airlines to manage the flow of returning New Zealanders.

If you are affected, then check out the COVID-19 Hub on the Air New Zealand website.

This action by the New Zealand government, is going to strand a few New Zealanders overseas. Lets hope they get back soon.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

The New Zealand government has been scoring a resounding first place in its management of the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures seem sensible in that light.

Such a beautiful, if cold country, that I would love to visit again – soon.

We love you Jacinda Ardern!