Melbourne reopens to international passengers

International flights into Melbourne will restart on Thursday April 8, almost two months after a localised COVID-19 outbreak in mid-February saw the shutter slammed down.

However, the number of arriving passengers will be capped at 800 per week through to April 14, before rising to 1,120 per week from April 15.

While that's several hundred short of what the Victorian government had previously promised, Acting Premier James Merlino indicated there are no immediate plans to raise that ceiling, saying "we are learning as we go but every decision we make is based on public health advice."

"What we are doing is leaving no stone unturned to make it as safe as possible."

With the exception of travellers from New Zealand, all overseas arrivals will be directed to 14 days of hotel quarantine, with hotels to meet strict new criteria which now include assessment of their ventilation systems, to combat the spread of newer more infectious coronavirus strains.

Also read: Will we see an Australia-New Zealand travel bubble by May?

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.