Virgin Australia is suspending its Dunedin-Brisbane service as part of a halt to all international flights until mid-June.
The airline today announced it would suspend the flights and make deeper cuts to domestic services as travel demand plunges during escalating coronavirus restrictions.
The suspension will take effect for two and a-half months from March 30 to June 14.
The last departing flight from Dunedin will be Monday, March 23, and the last arriving flight will be on Sunday, March 22, a post from Dunedin Airport said this afternoon.
Affected people should contact Virgin Australia directly. The post noted people should be mindful of the influx of calls Virgin was facing, and suggested people only contact Virgin if their booking was within the next 24 hours.
Those arriving into Dunedin from Brisbane between now and Sunday should ensure they were fully aware of the requirements to self-isolate upon arrival. They wpuld be greeted by Public Health South upon entering the terminal at the airport, the post said.
The airline will also reduce domestic capacity across Virgin and Tigerair services by 50 percent in response to government-imposed travel restrictions announced at the weekend.
International travellers to Australia are now required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since urged Australians not to travel overseas, while the government has also handed the sector a $715 million lifeline to help it through the coronavirus pandemic.
Virgin has already reduced executives' fees as it joined rivals in attempting to soften the impact of the COVID-19 spread.
- additional reporting ODT
