Air New Zealand has started one-way quarantine-free flights from New Zealand to Australia.
Passengers will have to declare that they were in New Zealand the 14 days before travel and are subject to health screening on arrival in Sydney.
The ‘safe travel zone’ arrangement is initially limited to travel between Auckland and Sydney.
Separately, the New Zealand government requires returning travellers to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
Travel under the ‘safe travel zone’ arrangement is open to people who have been in New Zealand for 14 days or more and have not been in a designated hotspot, according to Australia’s home affairs department.
Air New Zealand currently runs eight return flights a week on the Auckland-Sydney route and plans to operate six of these as quarantine-free flights.
The airline said: “Quarantine-free flights will be for passengers with travel originating in New Zealand who are flying from Auckland to Sydney and are not required to quarantine on arrival in Australia.
“You do not need to be a New Zealand citizen to travel to Australia ‘quarantine-free’, but you will need to have a valid visa to enter Australia.
“If you do not meet the ‘quarantine-free’ flight criteria then you will need to undertake the required managed-isolation process on arrival set by the Australian government.
“The safe travel zone is only a one-way arrangement and those returning to New Zealand will still need to quarantine for 14 days upon return, provide payment for quarantine, and must register their managed isolation accommodation requirements.”
Air New Zealand is not taking bookings for travel beyond Sydney to destinations within Australia under Australian state regulations.
Meanwhile, a non-stop Auckland-New York service has been postponed from this month until late 2021 at the earliest.
Minimal international operations to continue until the end of March, 2021.
The airline said: “Air New Zealand is currently operating a limited international network through to 31 March 2021 to keep air links open for essential travel and cargo movement on key trade routes.
“Total capacity has been reduced and demand will be reviewed on a route-by-route basis before services are resumed.”