Major international airline pulls ALL flights Down Under as our crippling border closures threaten to leave Australia totally cut off from the rest of the world
- American Airlines has announced it will suspend all flights to and from Australia
- The decision comes after international visitor caps were halved this month
- National Cabinet made the call after a number of Indian Delta Covid cases
The world’s largest airline is pulling all flights to and from Australia, after deciding it was no longer feasible given the country’s crippling border closures and a recent reduction in international arrivals.
American Airlines will suspend all passenger and cargo services between LA into Sydney – the carrier’s only route Down Under – from September 1.
The move leaves Australia increasingly isolated from the rest of the world and there are now growing fears many other airlines may follow suit.
Australia’s international borders have been closed since March 2020, with no official opening date except vague promises of ‘late 2022’.
American Airlines will suspend all passenger and cargo services between LA into Sydney – the carrier’s only route Down Under – from September 1 (pictured, American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the runway at Sydney Airport in March 2020 when the pandemic began)
Pictured: An American Airlines flight attendant serves drinks to passengers after departing Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport – with the airline no longer serving Australia
The airline said it hopes to resume operations by the end of October, but it’s very possible that deadline could be extended.
‘Due to the ongoing travel restrictions surrounding the coronavirus (Covid-19), American Airlines is suspending customer and cargo flights between Los Angeles and Sydney between Sept 1 and Oct 28,’ the airline said.
The company has apologised to travellers and says it will contact passengers to offer alternative arrangements.
The carrier last week revealed the international caps meant it has to make the 12,000km trip from LA to Sydney at less than 80 per cent capacity.
The reduced numbers on the long haul flight severely dented the profitability of the normally lucrative route.
Earlier this month National Cabinet announced that from July 14 until at least the end of August, the weekly cap on international arrivals would be halved to just 3,035 to make sure hotel quarantine isn’t overloaded with travellers during Australia’s new outbreaks.
The call was made at the behest of state premiers to keep out the highly contagious Indian Delta strain of Covid, which has decimated Sydney and spread to several other states.
Queensland’s Annastacia Palaszczuk, Victoria’s Daniel Andrews and Western Australia’s Mark McGowan pushed for the number of travellers to be slashed to take pressure off Australia’s quarantine systems.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison agreed despite push back from others such as NSW leader Gladys Berejiklian.
Earlier this month National cabinet announced that from July 14 until at least the end of August, the weekly cap on international arrivals would be halved to just 3,035. Pictured: Passengers wearing face masks arrive at Sydney Airport on July 11, 2021
‘Because of the particular virulency of the Delta strain, it is believed that is a prudent action while we remain in this suppression phase of the virus,’ Mr Morrison said after the meeting.
But the decisions means some 34,000 Australians still stranded overseas may now find it more difficult to get home, despite an increase to repatriation flights to the Howard Springs quarantine facility near Darwin.
Ex-pats are not only faced the $3,000 cost of quarantine when they arrive but highly inflated prices for airline tickets and regular cancelations.