A repatriation flight from Brisbane, Australia due to arrive in Tonga on 25 August has now been postponed to 25 September due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a statement yesterday afternoon, MEIDECC said the Australian Government is looking for another airport to enable travel between Australia and Tonga, due to the COVID-19 situation in Brisbane.

The aim is to ensure repatriation flights from Australia to Tonga were no longer delayed.

Quarantine free travel to NZ

The New Zealand government is looking at one-way quarantine free travel for passengers arriving from Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu, possibly starting in September, confirmed MEIDECC.

This arrangement will be for only New Zealand citizens and permanent residents, those with a New Zealand visa, and seasonal workers.

Currently, New Zealand and the Cook Islands have a quarantine free [2] travel arrangement both ways, while quarantine free travel is available one way from Niue to New Zealand at the moment.

Meanwhile, quarantine-free travel from Australia to New Zealand is currently suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia and will be reviewed in September.

Passengers entering New Zealand from other countries must register [3] for managed isolation quarantine before they book a flight ticket to ensure accommodation is available for when they wish to travel.