Originally Posted by
navstar1
Good news from New Zealand for people trying to get to the UK. Malaysian have just scheduled about 10 flights in April Auckland KL tech stop but no deplaning and on to Heathrow at a sensible price rather than that rip off airline whose name I will not mention who have been charging the most outrageous prices ex. New Zealand to return to the UK. Well done Malaysian you have the support and appreciation of all of us stuck in New Zealand in bringing at last some competition back to the market. Thank you
That's all very well for any passengers already in Auckland, the big problem is all the others now that that NZ is in lockdown. There are no domestic flights except for 'essential workers', no intercity buses or trains, and long-distance car travel is very much frowned on.
The government is working on a process by which foreign tourists can be safely gathered into embarkation points - Auckland and Christchurch, possibly RNZAF Base Ohakea - for return to their countries of origin. This will need to eliminate or at least drastically reduce the risk of the passenger and all the service staff (cab & bus drivers, hotel staff, customs & immigration officers, baggage handlers & airport counter staff, domestic flight & cabin crew, etc) they'll have to be in contact with being infected. This is a non-trivial exercise and will be expensive to implement.