Following announcement from the Premier Gladys Berejiklian regarding the requirement for passengers from Victoria to fly into Sydney, Regional Express (Rex) has said that it would continue its scheduled flights from Melbourne.
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A spokeswoman for Rex said Regional Express was compliant with all directions as provided by the NSW government.
"Rex will continue to operate its scheduled services between Melbourne and Merimbula, and apply the latest government directives, which may change by the hour," the spokeswoman said.
However the spokeswoman said that passengers were responsible for ensuring that they had obtained all necessary permits applicable to their intended point of disembarkation.
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NSW Police Force (NSWPF) is responsible for meeting flights with passengers from Victoria.
In a statement NSWPF said: "A small number of flights from Victoria are still scheduled to land at regional airports. The NSWPF is continuously engaging with airline operators to confirm these flights are carrying cargo only, or passengers with valid permits/exemptions."
ACM understands that passengers coming to Merimbula from Melbourne may include essential workers, such as doctors or those with a valid permit which might include those travelling for urgent medical, legal or compassionate reasons.
Police will check that anyone who gets off the aircraft has a valid permit similar to the checks that take place at the border, police media have told ACM.
Council's general manager Leanne Barnes said no one got off the Melbourne flight on Tuesday and aircraft crew were not allowed off either. Council is the airport owner.
The ruling around flights was reinforced following a NSWPF request, with a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued on Friday, which prohibits passengers from Victoria without a valid permit or exemption from landing at any regional NSW airport. The information went out to all commercial and private aircraft operators/owners.
"The NSWPF has an operational plan in place to ensure this direction is followed, which includes deploying to regional airports, with the appropriate resources, to meet flights where necessary," the NSWPF statement said.
