First flight out of the Middle East carrying Australians since Iran conflict erupted has landed in Sydney as loved ones breathe a sigh of relief – but tens of thousands more remain stranded
The first flight from Dubai to Sydney since war broke out in the Middle East has safely landed on Australian soil.
An Emirates Airbus A380-861, capable of carrying more than 400 hundred passenger, left Dubai at 2am on Wednesday and landed in Sydney at 10.24pm.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong had earlier confirmed the flight, EK414, had left.
About 115,000 Australians have been left stranded in the Middle East since the war began in Iran on Saturday.
The United Arab Emirates’ Government expected 60 flights to leave on Wednesday, after it began resuming flight operations on Tuesday through dedicated emergency air corridors.
Several airspaces over the Middle East remain closed, including Israel, Syria, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Jordan has partially closed its airspace.
RMIT University aviation expert Justin Brownjohn told the ABC airlines have their own assessments in place to ensure if it safe to fly, even in warzones.
Flight EK414 from Dubai to Sydney landed safely in Australia on Wednesday night
The flight on Wednesday was the first from Dubai to Australia since war broke out in the Middle East on Saturday
‘Most major carriers, and I’m talking the likes of Qantas [and] Emirates, have departments within their operations control centres that have really good connections and feeds into national security providers,’ he said.
‘Qantas, for example, will be in constant contact with DFAT, and they make a collaborative effort in determining the risk profile of the flight.’
Mr Brownjohn added carriers would be working with embassies in the Middle East and making decision based on the latest information.
‘All of these things feed into a risk profile,’ he said.
‘It’s not just one person in one team saying, ‘Okay, it’s okay to fly’, or the boss of an airline saying, ‘Okay, look, we’re losing money now, we need to fly’.
‘That absolutely does not happen.’
The Australian Defence Force has prepared personnel for the rescue of Australians from the Middle East, reports on Tuesday claimed.
However, Wong insisted Aussies continued trying to book seats on commercial flights as passenger plans offered a quicker route out of the region.
Penny Wong earlier confirmed a flight with Australian passengers had left Dubai
Smartraveller has advised Australians travelling to or through Gulf nations could be unable to leave if the conflict escalates.
A registration portal is open on its website for Australians to receive further evacuation orders.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has activated its 24/7 Crisis Centre to provide consular support to those in the region.
Six crisis teams are also being sent to the Middle East to provide consular support to Australians still trapped in the area.
Wong did not advise how they were travelling for safety reasons.
