Tearful reunions as first Melbourne flight touches down
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JOAN Bezzina couldn't put into words how she felt as a plane carrying her daughter and two grandchildren hit the tarmac.
As tears welled in her eyes, "elated" was the only way to describe the long-awaited reunion.
Mrs Bezzina was one of many people who welcomed passengers on the first flight from Melbourne since April as it landed at Whitsunday Coast Airport this morning.
About 120 passengers disembarked from the plane donning face masks and jackets, a stark contrast to the summer outfits flooding the terminal.
For Mrs Bezzina, it had been nine months since she had seen her daughter Natalie and grandchildren Maribel and Marcello.
While the Mackay family kept in touch over FaceTime during strict lockdowns in Victoria, nothing compared to embracing in person for the first time.
"It's an early Christmas present," Mrs Bezzina said.
"I just want to hug the kids and hug her."
Natalie Bezzina said it was an "unbelievable" feeling to be reunited with her family.
The group planned to travel back to their hometown of Mackay for some much-needed family time.
Today's flight marks the first of a raft of planes set to land from southern states as the airport soars to more weekly flights than pre-COVID levels.
