Australians arrive in Cyprus from Lebanon as demand for repatriation flights rises

By Sunday, four RAAF flights will have left Lebanon, potentially taking more than a thousand Australian nationals and residents away from the war zone to safety.

Australians arrive at Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus after being evacuated from Lebanon. Picture: Getty Images

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Repatriation flights from Lebanon were expected to be near capacity on Sunday, with the third and fourth planes set to evacuate as many as 580 Australians from the war zone.

As military tensions and humanitarian crises worsen throughout the Middle East, Australian nationals and residents are leaving in greater numbers.

Some 407 civilians fled on two flights on Saturday, Beirut time, with 229 aboard the first plane and 178 on the second.

It brought the total number of evacuees to 456, not including the passengers of two more Royal Australian Air Force flights slated to leave Beirut at 10:30am (6.30pm AEDT) and 3:45pm (11.45pm).

The demand for assisted departure flights has mirrored rising demand for commercial flights, with the Albanese government urging those in Lebanon to take whatever option is available to them to leave the country.

From Beirut, it was a short 40-minute flight to Cyprus where they were given temporary accommodation ahead of boarding connecting flights beginning from 3pm (11pm AEDT) to Australia.

Australian nationals were met by DFAT staff bearing fruit and water at Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus. Picture: AFP

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has observed a sharp rise in demand from Australians seeking to leave Lebanon.

It is understood 3679 Australians are registered with DFAT to leave, while 1765 are receiving information about leaving.

On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong cited 1700 Australians hoping to flee through Beirut. In the days since, Israeli strikes on south Beirut have intensified and the Israeli Defence Force confirmed its intention to launch retaliatory attacks on Iran.

DFAT intends to continue repatriation flights through next week provided they can be conducted safely.

Australian nationals were greeted by DFAT staff when they touched down at Larnaca International Airport on Saturday and Sunday, local time.

The majority of Australians will travel on to Sydney on a flight through Qatar Airlines on Sunday, then with Qantas on Monday. The two carriers intend to alternate their Cyprus repatriation flights in the following days.

The RAAF flights from Beirut to Larnaca are provided free to Australian citizens, permanent residents and family members with a right to enter Australia.

The evacuation had a sluggish beginning, with only 41 Australians aboard a joint Canadian flight from Lebanon.

Cyprus remains a key staging point from which civilians have fled conflict in the Middle East. During the 2006 Lebanon War it aided similar evacuation attempts.

More than 20 Cypriot delegates are currently stationed there on behalf of international governments seeking to repatriate foreign nationals.

“We will continue to work with them (Australians fleeing Lebanon) and to provide those opportunities to leave, but people simply have to take those opportunities as they are provided,” Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC’s Insiders on Sunday.

Australians in Lebanon intending to flee are urged to register via DFAT’s crisis portal or by calling the federal government’s 24-hour consular emergency centre on [phone].