Victoria-NSW border closure: airlines to slash Sydney-Melbourne flights across July

Qantas and Jetstar will “significantly reduce” flights between Sydney and Melbourne, both ways, for the rest of July as the decision to close its border with Victoria has ripple-on effects across the aviation industry. International flights have also been disrupted by the federal government imposing a cap on international arrivals at Sydney airport. As of Saturday, only 450 passengers a day will be allowed to arrive, with a maximum of 50 passengers a flight. International flights have already been banned from landing in Melbourne. On Tuesday, Qantas said that it would slash the number of flights to and from Melbourne for the rest of the month. Qantas and Jetstar will “continue to operate limited flights for essential travel only”. The airline said the Sydney to Melbourne route was the most affected, but it still “expects to operate multiple flights per day”. Other routes, such as Melbourne to Byron Bay, will also be affected. The temporary border closure between NSW and Victoria will come into effect at 12.01am on Wednesday, with exemptions for work and for access to essential health services. However, a number of international airlines said the NSW-Victoria border closure would not yet affect routes. United and Air New Zealand, two of the airlines to still run regular international routes to Australia, said they had no plans to alter services.<br/>