Regional flights to continue for essential workers despite lockdown: Fly Corporate

Premier Gladys Berejiklian yesterday announced all travelers into the state must travel through Sydney Airport, with travel by car completely banned into NSW.

Fly Corporate Manager Jeff Boyd said the airline has been in contact with government to get clarification whether this will mean a grounding of the airline's inbound regional flights carrying essential workers and goods.

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"That appears, this afternoon, to not be the case," he said.

"We're just waiting for final clarification on that. It would appear from the advice we've been given in the last hour or two that is not the case, particularly for people that are not NSW residents returning.

"For instance if we've got someone from Victoria that's a specialist doctor that needs to come to Orange or to Shellharbour or wherever then they don't have to meet what a NSW resident would have to meet returning to NSW."

A Fly Corporate airplane is scheduled to land in Tamworth tomorrow afternoon. Mr Boyd said that flight would operate as normal.

"At the end of the day [essential workers are] not the people the government want to stop moving around the countryside. They're wanting to stop the masses moving around the countryside.

"Everyone's cogniscent that for the country to function, obviously those essential jobs have to be carried out. Medical professionals have to move around the countryside.

"We're still carrying essential medical supplies between Melbourne and Orange hospital. All of that still has to happen."

The airline will advise passengers that it's their responsibility to make sure they have a valid reason to fly into NSW from Victoria. Passengers without a permit could face fines, he said.

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"We advise the passengers you will be met by NSW health and the NSW police when we land in NSW.

"We're the airline, we're the carrier, we don't organise the permits, we don't check into their backgrounds to make sure that they can or can't."

Fly Corporate flies a direct route to Brisbane and a milk-run service to Melbourne with stops in Dubbo and Orange. Both routes are subsidised until late September by the Commonwealth to carry essential workers around the country during the coronavirus crisis.

The new restrictions on travel into NSW kick in at midnight tonight.

The office of Minister for Health Brad Hazzard has been contacted for this story.

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