After the national cabinet decided to reduce Australia’s entry caps, one-way flights between London and Sydney are now selling for more than $43,000.
According to a Google Flights analysis, the decision to restrict the intake from 6,070 to 3,035 passengers per week starting on July 14 has prompted the already scarce commercial flights to sell for some of the highest prices in history.
A one-way flight from the United Kingdom to Sydney, NSW, costs $43,367 for a 44-hour journey on Tuesday, July 15th. GotoGate is selling a package that includes flights on Air Moldova and Etihad.
While this is the most expensive ticket to date, flights often cost more than $30,000.
One Etihad flight costs $10,173 on Tuesday, July 20th, but it is a 50-hour voyage.
The cost of flying from other large cities to Sydney is comparable: $20,000 in New York, $30,000 in Paris, and $15,000 in Tokyo.
Over 34,000 Australians living abroad have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to return home, despite the fact that over 300,000 citizens and residents have returned since the COVID issue began.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt cautioned airlines on Saturday not to increase rates by decreasing caps.
“I hope no one takes a business gain from terrible circumstances,” he remarked, sending a loud, obvious message.
Meanwhile, the Australian industry association representing international airlines said the high pricing reflected airlines’ attempts to cover costs rather than make a significant profit.
“If you operate a flight every day, you can be assigned 25 passengers for five of those flights and zero passengers for the other two,” said Barry Abrams, executive director of the Australian Board of Airline Representatives.
Many members, according to Abrams, may switch to exclusively operate freight flights if the cost of crew and catering becomes more difficult to justify.
“Clearly, the connectivity available for people to return to Australia will be reduced,” he added.
The news comes after the national cabinet decided on a plan to get out of the COVID pandemic, which included a 50% reduction in overseas immigration.
To make up for it, the federal government has agreed to fund further Qantas 787 repatriation flights.
They also promised an experiment of substituting one-week home isolation for hotel quarantine for those who had been vaccinated.
State and federal leaders have decided on a new “road” out of the COVID pandemic that will include four “phases” of reaction until life returns to normal.
