Big blow to Australians sent to London on rescue flights from Israel – as they are told they will have to pay for their accommodation and living expenses
Australians placed on rescue flights from Israel to London have been told they will have to pay for their own accommodation and food once they reach the UK as they anxiously await to return home.
Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that his government had organized two Qantas planes to fly holidaymakers out of Israel following the brutal Hamas offensive in the region, which began on Saturday.
The first rescue flight to London will leave on Friday, while the second will follow on Sunday. A third has also been announced, but details are not yet available.
The 10,000 Austrians stranded in Israel have already been left frustrated to learn that repatriation flights would go to London first, and not directly to Australia.
Now, they have been told by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that they will have to pay their own way once they land in the UK.
Australians placed on rescue flights from Israel to London have been told they will have to pay for their accommodation and food once in the UK as they anxiously wait to return home (pictured email from DFAT)
Brittany West’s parents, Paul and Audrey West, from Newcastle, had been driving a group of 33 holidaymakers around Israel for about two weeks when the attacks began.
They were on the beach in Tel Aviv when the bomb sirens went off, so they ran to the nearest cafe for shelter and spent the next four days in hiding as they frantically tried to arrange new flights home.
She said that while some of the tour group had secured seats on a flight to leave Israel over the weekend, they had been dealt another blow.
“They will get flights to London and any further costs, including hotels they will have to pay for,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
Brittany West’s parents, Paul and Audrey West, from Newcastle, had been driving a group of 33 holidaymakers around Israel for about two weeks when the attacks began.
Ms West said while her parents and most of their tour group had arrived home safely in Australia, there were still five stranded in Israel.
For many of the Australians still in Israel, they have not been able to get a proper sleep over the past week and the uncertainty of knowing when they will return to Australia has only added to the stress.
Furthermore, some nights accommodation and food in London will not be cheap.
The Australian government on Friday confirmed that a Qantas Airbus A830 would fly them from London to Sydney via Singapore on Tuesday.
These flights will take those traveling to London on flights out of Israel on Friday and Sunday. The Airbus has 484 seats. Flights departing from Israel are estimated to carry around 220 passengers each.
All flights will be free, with the cost covered by Qantas.
Australians in Israel who are interested in these flights should register with the government’s 24-hour consular emergency centre.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted DFAT for comment.
Pictured: Tour guide Paul West, pictured front, and other members of the group in a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv
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