Several flights operated by Etihad and Emirates have successfully brought hundreds of passengers back to Melbourne and Sydney amidst the ongoing conflict.
This morning, an Emirates flight landed in Melbourne at 6 a.m., carrying approximately 270 passengers, which is about half of the aircraft’s usual capacity.
Yesterday, an Etihad flight with available seats arrived from Abu Dhabi in Sydney at around 9:30 a.m.
Despite reassurances from Foreign Minister Penny Wong that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is collaborating with commercial airlines to facilitate the return of Australians, passengers noted many empty seats on the relief flights.
There remain about 24,000 Australians currently in the United Arab Emirates.
Minister Wong affirmed the government’s commitment to working with airlines to ensure that “every seat [is] filled.”
“That is really disappointing and I’m disappointed with that,” Wong told reporters today.
“So we are seeking to work even more closely with the airlines to try and coordinate that.
“We know that people are very stressed â can I assure you we are working as hard as we can around the clock, including with the airlines and the governments to try and get people home as quickly as possible.”
A spokesperson for Emirates declined to comment on passenger numbers but said around 100 flights were scheduled to depart and return to Dubai today and yesterday.
“Emirates will continue to gradually build back its flying schedule, subject to airspace availability and all operational requirements being met,” the spokesperson said.
“Safety is always our top priority.”
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