Auckland Airport gets ready to welcome Kiwis home from Australia as border restrictions ease

It will be a soft landing for Kiwis returning home from Australia next week, with five arriving flights and 910 passengers expected to touch down at Auckland Airport on day one of the border reopening.

On Monday, four Air New Zealand flights and one Qantas service will connect Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth with Auckland Airport.

While it will be an emotion filled day for those New Zealanders flying in from Australia and for those who have been waiting to see them, said Auckland Airport General Manager Operations Anna Cassels-Brown, the need for self-isolation will mean demand for travel won’t be anything like what was experienced nearly a year ago when quarantine-free travel launched.

“It’s an important first step, and one that is really welcomed by Auckland Airport and Kiwis wanting to reunite with their families between Australia and New Zealand.

“But with self-isolation in place we’re expecting a much more subdued response with only those New Zealanders who really need to travel making the journey across from Australia.”

Around 6,700 international arrivals are expected at Auckland Airport in the first week of arrival self-isolation – a significant increase on the 2,900 who came in from Australia in the month of December 2021 but still only 10% of pre-COVID trans-Tasman travel numbers.

Ms Cassels-Brown said the welcome at Auckland Airport will feel familiar with these arriving travellers using the main arrivals area within the international terminal, but there are some additional procedures to navigate at the border, the key one being a Welcome Home Pack containing rapid antigen tests handed to those going into self-isolation.

Since April last year Auckland Airport has operated its international terminal with two arrivals paths – Zone A, the safe travel zone for quarantine-free arrivals, and Zone B, a completely self-contained border processing zone for arrivals into MIQ. Zone B will remain in full use until Phase 2 of the staged border reopening from midnight 13 March begins, which allows eligible arrivals from the rest of the world to self-isolate. The airport will now begin the process of readying most of the area in the international terminal used for MIQ arrivals to return to general use for arriving and departing flights, with some equipment initially remaining in place as a prudent approach to safe border management.

Ms Cassels-Brown said the protections put in place at the air border over the past two years have been a vital part of New Zealand’s response to managing COVID-19.

“During a global pandemic our operational teams have had a significant role in enabling people to safely return to New Zealand, including well over 200,000 into MIQ.

“Although it’s just a fraction of the 10 million international arrivals at Auckland Airport in the two years prior to the pandemic, for every one of those people it was an important, and no doubt emotional, touch-down. Our team is really proud to have played a part in that, and now we’re ready for the next stages of the border reopening,” Ms Cassels-Brown said.

“As New Zealand moves to a new phase in our response to COVID, one in which public health protections including vaccination, mask use and social distancing remain important tools for reducing community spread, our border settings will adjust to allow us to connect more freely with the rest of the world. It’s an exciting time for the airport community, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming back more people while continuing to play our part in limiting the spread of this virus,” said Ms Cassels-Brown

“I’d like to personally thank our courageous and resilient Auckland Airport staff and service providers, as well as our colleagues in the government border agencies, airlines and across the airport community for their hard work in getting international travellers where they need to be over the past two years.”

First trans-Tasman self-isolation arrivals, Monday 28 February:

• 14:45 QF143 from Sydney
• 17:15 NZ104 from Sydney
• 17:20 NZ124 from Melbourne
• 19:45 NZ176 from Perth
• 21:35 NZ128 from Melbourne

Arriving into self-isolation at Auckland Airport

• From midnight on Sunday, 27 February, fully vaccinated New Zealanders and other eligible travellers can return from Australia and self-isolate for seven days rather than spend 14 days in managed isolation
• All arriving passengers will be using the international terminal’s main border processing areas and receive Welcome Home Pack, containing rapid antigen tests, information on self-isolation and further health advice, before exiting into the public arrivals’ hall
• Friends and family can come to the terminal to pick up an arriving passenger, but government advice is that travelling independently to your self-isolation location without stopping to visit people or go into shops is strongly recommended
• If you are being picked up by a whānau member or friend at the airport, please make sure you both wear a mask for the whole journey, sanitise hands regularly, sit as far apart as possible, try to keep the car well ventilated, and have a full tank of fuel to limit the need to stop at a service station
• Rental car, public transport, taxi and rideshare options are also available at the international terminal if needed to travel to your place of self-isolation
• Arriving international passengers can use a direct domestic flight if necessary
• Some, but not all, eateries and shops are open at the international terminal for departing passengers and those meeting and farewelling friends and whānau. Please check for opening hours
• Duty free shopping is available both instore and click-and-collect for all departing passengers. Pre-ordered online duty free shopping via The Mall is available for self-isolating arrivals through a contactless click-and-collect service located in the baggage hall. Contactless sales and click-and-collect duty free purchases are also available on arrival with The Loop Duty Free.

More information on the Government’s self-isolation requirements for arriving international travellers is available on the Unite Against COVID-19 website.

ENDS