Emirates pulls out of major Australian city putting jobs at risk as new lockdown spells disaster for struggling aviation industry
- Emirates has axed international travel out of South Australia due to COVID-19
- Flights between Adelaide and Dubai will no longer be operating
- The move signals further concern for the struggling aviation sector
- Meanwhile airlines are bracing for an influx of domestic flight cancellations
- Victorians are banned from entering New South Wales from midnight Tuesday
Airline giant Emirates has pulled out of its popular Dubai to Adelaide routes, becoming the latest to pull international flights because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Emirates has cancelled all flights in and out of South Australia - meaning they will no longer operate a direct route from Adelaide to the Middle East, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
The move signals further concern for the struggling aviation industry as international travel remains suspended and new domestic travel bans come in place.
Travellers will be unable to enter NSW from Victoria from midnight on Tuesday (pictured, passengers arrive at Sydney on Tuesday after flying out of Melbourne before the border closure)
Emirates has cancelled all flights in and out of Adelaide Airport - meaning they will no longer operate a direct route to Dubai in the Middle East (stock image)
A spokesperson for Emirates told Daily Mail Australia they will continue operating international routes across the rest of the country.
Health officials take the temperature of a young girl at Sydney Airport after she arrived from Melbourne on Monday July 6
'Emirates remains committed to serving our customers in Adelaide via our codeshare partner Qantas, and our customers in Australia through our other stations in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney,' the spokesperson said.
'We hope to restart our operations in Adelaide when it is commercially and operationally feasible to do so in the future.'
The number of local job losses associated with the flight cancellation is still unknown.
Flight Center's Global Media & Investor Relations Manager Hayden Long told Daily Mail Australia it's not a permanent decision.
A spokesperson for Emirates told Daily Mail Australia they will continue operating international routes across the rest of the country (pictured, Qantas and Emirates hostesses pose together)
'The government restrictions that are in place at the moment mean it is very difficult to travel internationally and, in some cases, even domestically,' Mr Long said.
'It's sad to see any airline leave a market, but Emirates has made it clear in this instance that it hopes to be back in Adelaide when the situation improves.'
The move comes as Australian airlines struggle to stay afloat, with Qantas and Jetstar bracing for a wave of flight cancellations linked to the new domestic border closures.
New South Wales will close its border to Victoria at midnight on Tuesday, prompted by a second wave of COVID-19 cases across Melbourne.
The state recorded 191 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday - a record high of daily cases for the state since the pandemic began.
Victorians will also be forced to quarantine for 14 days if they try to travel to the Australian Capital Territory by air.
NSW will close its border to Victoria at midnight on Tuesday, prompted by a second wave of COVID-19 cases across Melbourne (pictured, the border town of Albury on Tuesday)
International travel may not return to normal levels until at least July 2021 (pictured, the Qantas terminal in Melbourne on Tuesday)
But Qantas and Virgin Australia have been ramping up their domestic flight offering across Australia in recent weeks since confirming international travel may not return to normal levels until July 2021.
The national carrier announced it was planning to bring its capacity back up to 40 per cent of pre-COVID flight frequency by the end of July.
This resulted in the introduction of a raft of cheap flights on offer between cities like Melbourne and Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.
Residents who have purchased these flights out of the nation's new coronavirus capital will no longer be allowed to leave after July 7 because of the new lockdown measures.
However both Qantas and Virgin Australia have confirmed they will be allowing one complimentary change to their flights, reported Executive Traveller.
Passengers may be rushing to cancel or change their flights with Qantas (pictured, a woman arriving into Sydney Airport on Tuesday)
Passengers arrive at Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning from Melbourne (pictured) ahead of the planned border closure
This will apply to all travel between June 12 and October 31 2020 across the entire domestic flight network.
While Virgin Australia will allow passengers to make an unlimited number of changes to domestic bookings on travel until September 30 for both their travel dates and destinations.
Both airlines are facing uncertain futures after Prime Minister Scott Morrison's confirmation international travel could be off the cards until July next year.
Qantas announced a further 6,000 job losses at the end of last month as a result of reduced flights due to COVID-19.
While Virgin Australia is preparing for its takeover by Bain Capital after crumbling into bankruptcy as a result of global pandemic.
The airline has $7billion in outstanding debt to more than 12,000 creditors.
New South Wales police officers arrive at the Sydney Domestic Airport on Tuesday (pictured)
