newspost
- Australia has sent ‘military assets’ to the Middle East
- The second plane from Dubai is expected in Sydney
- READ MORE: Base hosting Australian Defence Force troops is struck by Iran
By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA
Published: | Updated:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Australian ‘military assets’ have been sent to the Middle East.
He said assets were sent as part of the response to thousands of Australians being stranded in the region amid the ongoing war. It’s understood two aircraft, a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster and KC-30A multi-role tanker, were sent.
The Prime Minister made the comment during Question Time on Thursday while addressing a second flight from Dubai which is due to land in Sydney about 10.30pm.
‘I confirm right now another flight, EK414 is in the air with over 200 Australians on board,’ he said.
‘It departed Dubai at 9.16am today Canberra time, bound for Sydney and we are hopeful of more flights in the air today which is what we want to see,’ he said.
‘The most recent advice is another two flights are scheduled to depart to Australia today.’
Albanese described the situation in the Middle East as ‘volatile’, ‘dangerous’ and ‘fast moving’ and acknowledged there is still thousands of Australians trying to get home.
After discussing the flight, the PM added there were six Australian crisis teams deployed to the region as well as ‘military assets as part of our contingency planning earlier this week’.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Australian military assets had been sent to the Middle East (pictured left to right: Defence Minister Richard Marles, Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke)
Albanese said six Australian crisis teams deployed to the region as well as ‘military assets’ (pictured are the first plane load of passengers arriving in Sydney after the conflict erupted)
It’s understood a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster (pictured) along with a KC-30A multi-role tanker were sent
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has not addressed the deployment of the ‘assets’.
New Zealand on Thursday similarly said it would send two defence planes alongside consular staff to help its citizens get back home.
The first flight from Dubai to Sydney landed safely on Australian soil on Wednesday night, ending a stressful period for hundreds of Aussies.
Earlier this week, Wong confirmed about 115,000 Australians were stranded in the Middle East.
Conflict in the region was triggered by America and Israel’s bombing of Iran on Saturday. Iran has since been bombarding peaceful Gulf cities with missile and drone attacks.
An Emirates Airbus A380-861, capable of carrying more than 400 passengers, left Dubai at 2am on Wednesday and landed in Sydney at 10.24pm.
There were cheers, hugs, and tears as passengers disembarked and reunited with their loved ones at the arrivals gate.
Earlier in the week, an evacuation route via Cyprus collapsed when a military and a civilian airport were both targeted.
Hundreds of Aussies cried and hugged as they were reunited
The second flight from Dubai, following the first on Wednesday, is due to land on Thursday night
The United Arab Emirates opened mergency flight corridors on Tuesday to allow repatriation flights out of the Middle East
Several airspaces over the Middle East remain closed, including Israel, Syria, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain. Jordan has partially closed its airspace.
However, the United Arab Emirates’ Government opened dedicated emergency flight corridors out of Dubai, a major transport hub, on Tuesday.
Smartraveller has advised Australians travelling to or through Gulf nations that they 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 also activated its 24/7 Crisis Centre to provide consular support to those in the region.
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