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Love WAS all around as Australia-New Zealand air travel bubble launched
April 19th 2021
There were emotional scenes at airports in Australia and New Zealand today as quarantine-free travel commenced between the countries, allowing friends and families to reunite after prolonged absences caused by the pandemic. Read More » New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said Auckland Airport resembled "something like a scene from Love Actually" and described the quarantine-free arrangement as an "important milestone" for the country's COVID-19 recovery.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) regional vice president Asia-Pacific, Conrad Clifford, congratulated both governments on the significant step forward to the restarting of international air travel. "After more than a year since the COVID-19 outbreak, this is the first time restriction-free travel is possible within the Asia-Pacific," Clifford said in a statement. "We hope more travel bubbles will be established across the region when it is safe to do so as part of overall efforts to restart international air travel."
Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general, Subhas Menon, said the response to air travel bubbles highlighted the pent-up demand for people to get back to flying. "The Trans-Tasman bubble opened today without quarantine while bilateral talks are underway to launch travel bubbles from Singapore to Hong Kong as well as to Australia," Menon said. "But there is still many a slip between cup and lip. Travel bubbles can be closed at short notice if virus cases rise. Airlines must be optimistic and readying for a gradual restart by devoting resources to smart technology solutions and sharpening their commitments to safety and decarbonisation."
