Canberra Airport boss Stephen flags flight bans from the ACT to South Australia and Western Australia - The Canberra Times

The head of Canberra Airport is getting increasingly frustrated and angry about the alacrity with which state governments seem to slam the borders closed. Stephen Byron has accused the state of South Australia of unlawfully shutting down the aviation industry. Its decision to ban Canberrans from flying into Adelaide is not based on health grounds, he said. "They have unlawfully shut down our business and Qantas' and Virgin's," Mr Byron told The Canberra Times. "Canberra Airport is in the business of supporting people to fly. They've shut down all business between Canberra and Adelaide." Mr Byron's anger has been triggered by South Australia and Western Australia banning residents from Canberra despite no locally transmitted cases in the capital for the past 12 months. South Australia said it had banned Canberra residents because of the proximity to Sydney, and the fact 11,000 people were in home quarantine in the ACT last week. Mr Byron said Canberra Airport, Qantas and Virgin wanted a guarantee from governments they would not shut borders to the capital if the region continued to record zero COVID-19 cases. If state governments could not provide that guarantee, Mr Byron flagged the potential of suspending all flights between Canberra and Adelaide and Canberra and Perth. READ MORE "It's just a mess," Mr Byron said. "We're not asking for a lot. We're asking for a guarantee from now on that the border to Canberra, to the ACT, won't be shut as long as there are zero cases," Mr Byron said on Sky News. "If you can give us that undertaking, it makes sense for us to restart flights to Perth and Adelaide. If they can't give us that, then basically we might as well give up. We're sick of it." "The Travelling public need some certainty that they won't be prohibited from flying when there are no cases," he told The Canberra Times. Staff at airports needed the same certainty that their jobs wouldn't suddenly disappear. His anger is at the ban on flights into South Australia even though there has not been a case of Covid in the ACT for months. "It can't be on health grounds. We have zero cases. Do they want us to have less than zero cases? "It's disgraceful and it's un-Australian," he said. He contrasts the South Australian border closure with the health advice in Queensland and New Zealand who both have open borders with the ACT. Similarly Tasmania and the Northern territory. "We can accept closed borders to places with community transmission of Covid but being locked out of States when we have no Covid is not health based. It's politics and we and staff in the airlines have had enough." Mr Byron is getting increasingly angry at the situation his industry finds itself in. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

Stephen Byron has accused the state of South Australia of unlawfully shutting down the aviation industry. Its decision to ban Canberrans from flying into Adelaide is not based on health grounds, he said.

"They have unlawfully shut down our business and Qantas' and Virgin's," Mr Byron told The Canberra Times.

"Canberra Airport is in the business of supporting people to fly. They've shut down all business between Canberra and Adelaide."

South Australia said it had banned Canberra residents because of the proximity to Sydney, and the fact 11,000 people were in home quarantine in the ACT last week.

Mr Byron said Canberra Airport, Qantas and Virgin wanted a guarantee from governments they would not shut borders to the capital if the region continued to record zero COVID-19 cases.

If state governments could not provide that guarantee, Mr Byron flagged the potential of suspending all flights between Canberra and Adelaide and Canberra and Perth.

"It's just a mess," Mr Byron said. "We're not asking for a lot. We're asking for a guarantee from now on that the border to Canberra, to the ACT, won't be shut as long as there are zero cases," Mr Byron said on Sky News.

"If you can give us that undertaking, it makes sense for us to restart flights to Perth and Adelaide. If they can't give us that, then basically we might as well give up. We're sick of it."

"The Travelling public need some certainty that they won't be prohibited from flying when there are no cases," he told The Canberra Times. Staff at airports needed the same certainty that their jobs wouldn't suddenly disappear.

His anger is at the ban on flights into South Australia even though there has not been a case of Covid in the ACT for months.

"It can't be on health grounds. We have zero cases. Do they want us to have less than zero cases?

"It's disgraceful and it's un-Australian," he said.

He contrasts the South Australian border closure with the health advice in Queensland and New Zealand who both have open borders with the ACT. Similarly Tasmania and the Northern territory.

"We can accept closed borders to places with community transmission of Covid but being locked out of States when we have no Covid is not health based. It's politics and we and staff in the airlines have had enough."

Mr Byron is getting increasingly angry at the situation his industry finds itself in.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

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2021-07-07 22:21:00Z
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