CANCELLED: What Sydney lockout means for Whitsunday flights
NEW border restrictions have resulted in an indefinite pause on flights from Sydney into the Whitsundays.
From Thursday, August 13, there will be no Jetstar flights from Sydney arriving into the Whitsundays until further notice.
Whitsunday Coast Airport's chief operating officer aviation and tourism Craig Turner said until August 13, tourists from other areas in New South Wales could still fly direct from Sydney into the Whitsundays.
"People that are living outside of identified hot spot postcodes can still travel from their postcode through hot spot postcodes to get to the airport and then fly to the Whitsundays through Sydney airport," he said.
"(For example) if someone's out at Armidale, Dubbo or Tamworth, and they're not identified as hot spots, they are absolutely allowed to jump in their car, drive to (Sydney) airport and fly to the Whitsundays for a warm Whitsunday holiday.
"Sydney Airport has an exemption that allows for people outside of hot spot postcodes to still be able to utilise the airport transiting to another destination by air."
Mr Turner said there were strict control measures in place for travellers arriving in the Whitsundays.
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This included thorough checks of every passenger and increased security as well as thermal imaging technology.
"Every single person arriving through Whitsunday Coast Airport will be thermal image scanned to check their temperatures as an additional safeguard," he said.
"We're doing what we need to do to make sure people feel safe within the airport."
Flights from Brisbane will remain as usual, with Mr Turner saying management will continue to explore more routes for people looking for a sunny escape.
"Whilst the Sydney news is not great, we understand the need for these types of measures," he said.
"The airport is still working very hard around trying to target other destinations that have their COVID cases under control."
