Bendigo Airport was a hive of activity as it welcomed its first Qantas passenger service in months.

The service between Bendigo and Sydney was suspended in March as Qantas grappled with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sydneysiders Danielle, Brendon and Theo Boyce were met with hugs at the gate.

It was the first time the young family had been to Bendigo in more than a year.

Theo was only six months old when they were last here visiting family.

"He's done a lot of growing up since then," Mr Boyce said of his 19-month-old son.

Theo's grandfather, Ms Boyce's father, was among the first people the family saw upon their arrival at the Bendigo Airport.

Ms Boyce said being separated from family in Bendigo had been really hard.

"We normally come home regularly but it's been a long time. We've missed them so much," she said.

Today is the first time Felicity Beissmann's family will get to meet her baby daughter, Zoe.

"This little one was born in June and we moved down from Sydney last November," Ms Beissmann said.

"All of my family is in Sydney so she hasn't met any of her aunties or grandparents, so we thought we'd get the first flight out.

"It'll be a very special day - everything's planned and everyone's meeting us at the airport."

Ms Beissmann said reconnecting with family in Sydney would have been more difficult without the service at Bendigo Airport - something other parents of young children echoed.

Without the stress of having to travel to Melbourne, Ms Beissmann was free to focus on the flight itself.

"It's made it so easy," she said.

Spring Gully couple Robyn and Fenton Phillips had been keen to support the Bendigo to Sydney service.

"This will be the third time we've been on it," Mrs Phillips said.

She and Mr Phillips had asked their travel agent to let them know when flights from Bendigo resumed because they wanted to be on the first plane out.

"We're just going to Sydney for three days, sitting looking out over the harbour, because we can," Mrs Phillips said.

"It's so exciting to be able to leave Bendigo and have a holiday and travel."

Related: Tourism set for touchdown as Bendigo to Sydney flights resume

She and Mr Phillips wanted people to come visit Bendigo, too - a wish City of Greater Bendigo business services manager Ben Devanny shared.

There was hope the circumstances might work in Bendigo's favour, with regional tourism likely to experience a boost during the hiatus on international travel.

"We also hope we'll see people that might not be comfortable going to a big airport like Tullamarine," Mr Devanny said.

He said Qantas had been encouraged by bookings on the service leading up to Christmas.

The first few flights in and out of Bendigo were "reasonably full," according to Mr Devanny, with passenger numbers in their high 20s on the 50-seat planes.

Mr Devanny said many of today's passengers were going to see family.

"Hopefully we get lots of tourists coming and seeing the area in the next few weeks," he said.

The greater the support for the Bendigo - Sydney service, the stronger the likelihood of having conversations with Qantas about other routes.

"It enables us to have that conversation about Adelaide, Mildura, Canberra sort of services," Mr Devanny said.

He acknowledged how much the pandemic had changed things for airlines and their businesses, but said the city was in regular dialogue with Qantas and other carriers about the potential for further routes and services.

QantasLink chief executive John Gissing said the company was thrilled to be returning to Bendigo after eight months.

"We know how important this direct flight is for the community, both in terms of driving tourism to the region and providing business travellers with a more convenient way to get to Sydney," Mr Gissing said.

He said the crew was looking forward to welcoming regular flyers back onboard.

"We also expect these flights will carry more visitors to the region with international border closures inspiring Australians to plan their next holiday in our own backyard," Mr Gissing said.

Mr Devanny said passengers on this morning's first flight from Sydney had their temperatures checked in Sydney.

Bendigo Airport's key COVID safety measures included physical distancing, mask wearing and sanitisation.

Sneeze guards had been installed in customer service areas like the check-in desks and cafe, and there were hand sanitiser dispensers and signs.

Cleaners came in between services.

"Otherwise, it's Qantas and their procedures," Mr Devanny said.

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