Airlines call for the government to lift limits on inbound travellers

International airlines are ramping up their calls for an increase the number of passengers permitted to enter Australia ahead of the government’s review of the limit of 4,000 inbound travellers each week. Intended to ease pressure on the mandatory hotel quarantine system, the cap system runs until October 24 and pegs arrivals at 350 passengers per day at Sydney, 525 passengers per week at Perth, and 500 passengers per week at Adelaide and Brisbane. Flight limits in Canberra and Darwin are decided “on a case by case basis,” the government says, while Melbourne remains closed to all inbound travellers. However, with an estimated 20,000 Australians stranded overseas and unable to book a flight due to the strict limits – which sees some flights carrying as few as 30 passengers – pressure is mounting for a significant increase on international airport arrivals. Qatar Airways has already said it will stop accepting new bookings for flights to Australia until the current passenger cap is relaxed. “Due to the dynamic nature of the pandemic, airlines operating flights to Australia have faced ever-changing restrictions, often imposed on short notice,” the airline said in a statement. It claims this has led to a “cascading effect” on bookings made weeks or even months in advance, resulting in “many passengers having their tickets rebooked onto later flights several times as demand exceeds the new caps announced.” The Board of Airline Representatives of Australia, which represents over 30 international airlines serving Australia, says that the growing backlog of passengers now stretches towards the end of this year. “When you can only fill a sixth of the seats, the cost equation (for airlines) becomes terrible,” explained BARA executive director Barry Abrams. “The issue here is not availability of seats. There’s no shortage of seats. It comes down to the caps.”<br/>