Ballina welcomed its first Pelican flight direct from Canberra this morning. The plane full of Canberrans were greeted by clear blue skies and a warm welcome from the Airport staff, who turned on a special blast from the water cannons to christen the arrivals.
With the Byron and Ballina economies so heavily reliant on the accommodation and food services sector, there are many who will welcome the return of visitors throughout the region. However, social distancing and hand washing are advised to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 as the economy opens up again.
Virgin – under new management
Today Virgin Australia announced that it is also coming back to Ballina under new ownership, with flights resuming in early August.
‘This is the future of the airport with these bigger airlines coming in,’ said Ballina Shire mayor David Wright as he welcomed the flight from Canberra.
‘It is good to see the smaller operators bringing people from places like Canberra and I would like to see flights from places like Brisbane as well.’
