A Qantas 787 Dreamliner departed Sydney for Cyprus this morning to operate the first of two flights to bring home Australians on behalf of the Australian Government.
The aircraft took off from Sydney Airport at 7.03am and is expected to arrive in Larnaca, Cyprus, on Monday afternoon (local time).
In addition to the Flight and Cabin Crew (four pilots and ten cabin crew), a dedicated team will be onboard to support the special assistance flight. This includes ground personnel, medical personnel, engineers and a specialised toolkit and parts in case they are required to help dispatch the aircraft in Larnaca.
The flight (ASY1258) is expected to depart Larnaca on Monday evening with up to 220 passengers onboard and arrive back in Sydney on Tuesday evening. Qantas will then fly passengers to their nearest home domestic airport that the airline operates to, at no cost.
The flights are being operated free of charge on behalf of the Australian government.
As part of our long-standing partnership with Australian Red Cross, Qantas will be supporting their efforts to provide comfort and support to those returning home as well as carrying Australian Red Cross Trauma Teddies® to give to all travelling passengers on the two charter flights.
Australian Red Cross will be on the ground at Sydney Airport on Tuesday to provide psychological first aid and other referral support for those returning home.
The total distance of the flight is around 15,890 km, slightly exceeding the distance of our Perth-London service, which is the longest on our network.
The expected flight time is 18 hours and 5 minutes from Sydney to Larnaca, and 17 hours and 20 minutes on the return. The shorter travel time on the return leg is due to prevailing winds.
The second flight, ASY1270, is expected to depart Larnaca on Wednesday evening and arrive back in Australia on Thursday evening.
ADVICE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
Australians who want to leave Lebanon via Cyprus should register at DFAT's Crisis Portal. If you have already registered with DFAT you do not need to register again.
For urgent consular assistance, Australians should continue to call the Australian Government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia).
