PM Sco Mo speaking in Cairns on 16 Oct 2020.
By SAT News Desk
MELBOURNE, 16 October 2020: More than 5,000 Australians are expected to return home in the next six months on special commercial flights from UK, India, and South Africa. These are among the 29,000 Australians currently registered with DFAT wishing to return to Australia. The Australians return amid the unprecedented travel disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first two flights with Qantas will depart London on 22 October and New Delhi on 26 October. Each flight will carry 175 passengers. As more quarantine facility space has become available with fewer domestic travelers needing to quarantine, we have been working with the Northern Territory Government so Australian passengers from overseas can undertake their 14 days’ quarantine on return at the Howard Springs facility, Northern Territory, 25 kilometers south of Darwin.
According to abc.net.au the cost from the UK will be around $ 2,000 and from India a little less. People quarantined at Howard Springs will pay $ 2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.
“Once people have completed their quarantine and tested negative for the virus they’ll be allowed to fly to their home state where, depending on the border rules, they may have to quarantine again, ” says abc.net.au.
“The Government is underwriting the cost of the flights, and airfares will be available at commercial rates to passengers, with loans through DFAT available to those who need assistance, ” says a media release from the Prime Minister’s office.
More details on the flights are available on smartraveller.gov.au and qantas.com
