Australian government to fund 100 more Qantas 787 repatriations

The government has committed to funding another 100 Qantas repatriation flights over the next year. The flag carrier has been using its 787 Dreamliners for the missions, which have a capacity to carry around 170 passengers each, meaning 17,000 more stranded Australians can return. Tuesday night’s federal budget revealed the new flights will form part of a $119.9m boost to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s consular program, which will include money for 46 additional staff. The expansion, set to roll out over “the coming months”, coincides with the Howard Springs quarantine facility planning to double its capacity, from 850 to 2,000 per fortnight. Howard Springs first took in large numbers of international travellers in October 2020 when it initially expanded its capacity. The budget also revealed 18,800 Australians have flown home on 127 government-sponsored flights, out of a total of 45,400 returnees, most of whom would have flown with commercial airlines such as Qatar.<br/>