As the war in the Middle East escalates, Qantas Airways has agreed to fly a Boeing 787 to Lebanon to rescue Australian nationals stranded in Lebanon. A press release was sent on Friday to detail a plan to get Australians home safely.

A Heroic Escape To Down Under

On behalf of the Australian Government, Qantas will be operating two flights from Larnaca, Cyprus to Sydney, Australia. These flights are exclusive to Australian nationals who haven't been able to leave the Middle East in light of the ongoing war between Israel, Iran, and neighboring countries.

The first flight will depart Monday evening local time in Larnaca, Cyprus, and is expected to land in Sydney sometime Tuesday. The plane will then return to Cyprus as soon as possible to pick up more Australians, with this flight projected to take place on Wednesday.
 

Qantas will be using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane for these flights, which can seat up to 440 passengers. These flights will be free of charge. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), these flights are open to permanent residents and their immediate family members with a right of entry into the country.

The organization noted that "'vulnerable people" will be prioritized. There is expected to be a surplus of crew members willing to partake in these two flights. Back in October 2023, over 900 of Qantas' workforce were eager to be one of 70 chosen as part of rescue flights from Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Australian Government is strongly advising Australians to leave the Middle East as attacks among nations ramp up. Despite this, many airlines have canceled commercial flights to and from Middle Eastern nations over the past few weeks.

Canada has also had a hand in getting Australias out of the Middle East, as South Australia Senator Penny Wong also noted how Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly also helped facilitate rescue flights out of Lebanon since Thursday.
 

"Last night 41 Australians were assisted to depart Lebanon. Thank you to our Canadian partners for their support with this flight, @melaniejoly. Grateful for the work of the DFAT team in Beirut helping to facilitate Australian passengers onto the flight," wrote Wong.

According to Wong's office, more flights are reportedly planned for subsequent days if more Australians require escape.

However, these flights haven't been all full. According to SBS News, the 41 Australians on that Thursday flight had a capacity of 80 seats, with no other passengers. And while a 500-seat plane is expected to rescue Australians on Saturday, only 238 are expected to board thus as of this writing.

DFAT is currently reaching out to Australians who are looking to return home from the Middle East. Those who want to return to Australia are encouraged to call the Australian Government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre by calling +61 2 6261 3305 for those overseas.