Regional Express Airlines (Rex) has confirmed it wants to add more routes to and from Canberra, despite COVID-19 wreaking havoc on its bookings.
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The airline's first flight from Melbourne to Canberra landed at 2.30pm on Thursday, having been delayed from June 10 because of the Victorian outbreak.
The business has also had an influx of cancellations to and from Sydney since the city's latest cluster, which they said they were fully refunding.
"We're already receiving a huge number of requests for refunds, which we are processing as best we can," said deputy chairman John Sharp.
"The restrictions in Victoria which effectively ended about a week ago have now been taken over by the restrictions in New South Wales, mainly Sydney. It's having a big impact."
Despite the uncertainty, he hoped to add more routes to the nation's capital.
Mr Sharp said demand for existing flights were high; from Fridays to Mondays in particular.
"We hope in time we'll be able to expand the network from just Sydney to Canberra and Melbourne to Canberra to other capital cities around Australia," he said.
The airline is offering $69 flights between Canberra and Melbourne, which Mr Sharp said would last for the next few months and possibly most of the year.
"I think most of this year, certainly for the next few months that will be the price that we're operating on for the Melbourne Canberra service. You'll see that price remain as the primary price," he said.
"It's certainly a price that gives a very low yield. It's an extremely low price, doesn't make us much in the way of money but we're trying to give people a reason to change their normal behaviour."
Jon Hazelton piloted the first Melbourne flight 50 years after his father Peter landed the first Hazelton Airlines plane (which rebranded as Rex) in the nation's capital.
Elizabeth Brooks returned home from a four-day trip to Melbourne, having met her 10-month-old grandchild for the first time.
She said it was the fourth time she had tried to visit her son and his two children, who she hadn't seen since December 2019.
Thomas Bellato, 19, was returning from visiting his elderly grandfather, who is in a nursing home.
"It was great, I haven't seen him in a really long time, so it was good catching up," he said.
Kayla Martin, 35, and James Fahy, 34, came from Melbourne to see family and friends with their two-year-old Rowan, who slept throughout the flight.
The former Canberrans said they felt like they were coming home and appreciated the affordable price.
"This was like $70, so if it stays that cheap we'll be up here a lot more," laughed Mr Fahey.
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