Coronavirus: Sydney awaits first Wuhan flight in more than two months

The first Wuhan flight to land in Sydney in more than two months will be unloaded in a special freight area of the airport.

Wuhan gets moving again after a two-month ban on outbound travel from the city was lifted. Picture: Hector Retamal/AFP

The first flight to Sydney in over two months from China’s “coronavirus capital” Wuhan, is due to land in Australia tonight.

The cargo flight operated by China’s Suparna Airlines, will be unloaded in a special freight apron area of Sydney Airport.

It is not clear what the Boeing 747-freighter is carrying, after yesterday completing a trip to Shanghai.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Home Affairs would not provide details of the cargo but said they were aware of the flight arriving from Wuhan.

Wuhan’s Tianhe International Airport only reopened on Tuesday after the city, considered the epicentre of the global coronavirus crisis, eased lockdown restrictions.

A total of 2571 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 in Wuhan, and as of Monday there were 574 current cases in the city of 11 million people.

Cargo handlers operating out of Sydney Airport were following the strictest hygiene and infection control protocols in line with advice from health authorities, a spokesman said.

As with other airline crew, the pilots would be exempt from quarantine restrictions but “must remain in the airport or self-isolate in accommodation for the duration of their transit”.

“Quarantine and isolation arrangements in each state are the responsibility for each state and territory govermment,” said the Home Affairs spokeswoman.

The last flight from Wuhan to Sydney took place on January 23, operated by China Eastern Airlines, with mask-wearing passengers met by biosecurity officials.

Since then, the only other flights between Wuhan and Australia have been operated under special conditions by Qantas to bring Australians home.

The first flight went to Exmouth in Western Australia, and the second to Darwin, with passengers spending two weeks in quarantine before being allowed to return to their home towns or cities.

The Suparna flight to Sydney will take just over nine hours and is due to land at 9.14pm on Wednesday.