Jetstar has cancelled flights of out Perth until at least April, in response to uncertainty over Western Australia’s domestic reopening.
Jetstar has cancelled all flights from Perth to other Australian capitals through March due to uncertainty over when Premier Mark McGowan will reopen to the rest of the country.
The Qantas Group said it had “reviewed its domestic capacity settings” due to ongoing border delay, according to a report by WA Today.
“Though at a fraction of its pre-COVID levels, Qantas will maintain core connections between Perth and the rest of Australia, with up to 15 flights per week from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin, supporting essential personnel and freight,” the statement said.
“The Group retains the flexibility to adjust flying levels depending on demand and clarity on border re-opening in the weeks and months ahead.”
The cancellations have reportedly increased flight prices through other airlines.
Qantas also announced earlier this week a further delay to the resumption of its direct flights between Perth and London amid the border closures.
The airline said it would continue to instead use Darwin as the departure point until at least June this year.
West Australians are expected to learn within a fortnight when the state’s borders will finally reopen as the door opens for some international students to immediately return.
Premier Mark McGowan on Tuesday said an announcement on easing the border restrictions would be made “sometime in February”.
The state had been due to fully reopen on February 5 before the premier backtracked, citing high rates of Omicron-related hospitalisations and deaths on the eastern states, as well as the need to improve WA’s third-dose vaccination rate.
“By the time we reopen the interstate and international borders, we’ll be one of the highest vaccinated places in the world with one of the safest populations in the world, which is a great thing,” Mr McGowan told reporters.
But opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam said it was extraordinary there was still no certainty regarding the reopening date.
“After closing the borders, flattening the curve and buying that much-needed time to prepare an already ailing health system for the inevitable, where are we today?,” she told parliament.
“Almost 700 days later and still closed to the rest of the world.”
Source: AAP
