Eight babies among first 160 Australians to come home through London-Darwin repatriation flight
A DIRECT flight from Heathrow to Darwin will touch down today just before noon. Ahead of its arrival, QANTAS has revealed interesting details about who is on the flight … READ HERE
Northern Territory
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DETAILS of the first of eight repatriation flights of returning Australians from across the globe have emerged, the NT News can reveal.
Among the passengers will be eight newborn Australians, most of whom have never stepped foot before on Australian soil.
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QF110 will fly direct from Heathrow in the UK to Darwin, with passengers to be transferred through the RAAF side of the airport to Howard Springs’ quarantine facility.
The eight flights will, in total bring home 1,315 Australians.
On the first flight, there will be 160 passengers on board, including 22 kids.
The NT News understands most of the infants were born overseas and this will be their first flight back to Australia.
“There’s quite a few kids on this flight and eight infants,” Qantas first officer Dave Summergreene said.
“So I imagine there’s going to be quite a few excited grandparents who will get to meet their new grandchild for the first time.”
The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, will fly a total distance of 14,600km without needing to stop.
Takeoff from London will be at around 9pm AEDT, or 7.30pm in the NT.
“The flight is expected to take around 15 hours depending on the winds along the route,” Mr Summergreene said.
Passengers have been tested for COVID-19 at least 48 hours before departure, will be tested again before boarding the aircraft, and will be tested again on arrival before heading into 14 days quarantine.
The NT News can also reveal that quarantining Australians will be given optional arm bracelets which will monitor their vital signs for early symptoms of COVID-19.
The flights are part of a $50 million deal between the Federal and NT governments.
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“In a nod to the NT, the aircraft operating the flight is painted with a design showcasing the artwork of the late Northern Territory artist and senior Anmatyerre woman, Emily Kame Kngwarreye,” Mr Summergreene said.
The livery showcases her 1991 painting Yam Dreaming, a staple food source of Ms Kngwarreye’s home town of Utopia.
Originally published as Eight babies among first 160 Australians to come home through London-Darwin repatriation flight