"We welcome Premier Berejiklian's announcement this morning.

"A date for reopening Melbourne-Sydney gives much-needed certainty to travellers so they can make plans, to airlines so they can make important operational decisions, and to the thousands of Victorian businesses and staff that depend on the aviation sector.

 "This is a tribute to all Victorians for what they've achieved through these many months of sacrifice and loss.

"We also applaud the commitment of NSW to staying open while keeping people safe. It is now time for all states and territories to ease border restrictions so we can reconnect families and get the economy rolling.

"Today's announcement by Premier Berejiklian is the first step on the road to rebuilding the second-busiest air route anywhere in the world, reconnecting the two cities that drive so much of Australia's economic activity.

"Reconnecting Melbourne into Australia's domestic aviation network will be an enormous boost to the national aviation industry. Pre-COVID, six out of the 10 busiest routes in the country originated in Melbourne - having so much traffic cut off from the network has been a drag on the economic recovery of every other state in the country."