Coronavirus: relief as second Qantas rescue flight touches down in Darwin

Australia’s second evacuation flight from Wuhan has landed in Darwin, ending a two-day ordeal for 250 passengers and crew on board.

Qantas Flight QF6032 carrying the second group of coronavirus evacuees from China's Wuhan lands in Darwin on Sunday. Picture: Pete Washington

Australia’s second evacuation flight from Wuhan has landed in Darwin, ending a two-day ordeal for some support staff on board.

The Qantas Boeing 747-400 took off from Sydney just before midday on Friday to fly to Hong Kong and then onto the Chinese city crippled by the coronavirus.

As well as pilots and cabin crew, the flight carried ramp and baggage handlers and some government officials who participated in the previous rescue flight.

But when the aircraft reached Hong Kong, they learned approvals from the Chinese government had not been granted, which meant it could not continue on to Wuhan.

Although the pilots and cabin crew were able to go to a hotel for some rest, the ramp and baggage handlers and government officials were not allowed to leave Hong Kong Airport, because of restrictions on travellers who had recently visited mainland China.

When approvals finally came through late Saturday, the flight was able to continue its journey to Wuhan to collect another 250 Australians.

Flight QF6032 took off at 4am local time, and landed in Darwin just under six hours later.

Officials checked the evacuees’ temperature and questioned their state of health after they disembarked the flight.

Children were excited to receive a gift bag filled with toys and stationery upon their arrival, while families patiently waiting to be transferred to an old mining camp 30km from Darwin known as Manigurr-ma Village, for two weeks of quarantine to ensure they are not infected with coronavirus.

9-year-old Thomas and 5-year-old Andrew received toys and stationery upon their arrival in Darwin. Picture: Jenny Zhu

“We had some snacks on the flight but soon fell asleep as everyone was just so tired, “ Ms Zhu told the Australian via a chat messenger.

Bread and water were also offered at Wuhan airport before boarding, but “ few people touched it”, as everyone was wearing face masks all the way.

Bread and water were provided at for Australian evacuees at Wuhan airport. Picture: Supplied

The same precautions used on the first evacuation flight were repeated on Sunday morning’s service, with cabin crew having limited contact with passengers who were required to change face masks hourly.

The 747 will now fly to Sydney for deep cleaning before being returned to regular service.

The news comes as an Australian girl flown out of Wuhan on an earlier Qantas evacuation flight to Christmas Island has been cleared of coronavirus after medics became concerned and decided she should be tested for the deadly disease.

The Weekend Australian revealed on Saturday that the medical team on Christmas Island sent the sample from an evacuee in quarantine to the Australian mainland for a coronavirus test on Friday. While two evacuees were earlier tested for other ­viruses, this was the first time medical staff had called specifically for a coronavirus test.

News that a test was deemed necessary for one of the evacuees has caused concern among others in the centre. Many had asked doctors and nurses for information about the case including whether they or their children are at risk.

There are more than 270 people on the island for quarantine after they were evacuated from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.