Blow for Australians taken to London on rescue flights from Israel – as they are told they will have to pay for their own accommodation and living costs
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 arrive in the UK, as they anxiously wait to return home.
Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that his government had organized two Qantas planes to get holidaymakers out of Israel following Hamas’ brutal attack on the region, which began on Saturday.
The first rescue flight to London will depart on Friday, followed by a second on Sunday. A third has also been announced, but details are not yet available.
The 10,000 Australians stranded in Israel have already been frustrated to learn that repatriation flights were going first to London, not directly to Australia.
They have now been told by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that they will have to pay their own costs once they arrive in the UK.
Australians placed on rescue flights from Israel to London have been told they will have to pay for their own accommodation and food once in the UK as they anxiously wait to return home (DFAT photo email)
Brittany West’s parents, Paul and Audrey West, from Newcastle, had been guiding a group of 33 vacationers through Israel for about two weeks when the attacks began.
They were on the beach in Tel Aviv when the bomb sirens sounded. So they ran to the nearest cafe to seek shelter and spent the next four days in hiding while frantically trying to organize new flights home.
She said that although some members of the group had secured a place on a flight to leave Israel this weekend, they suffered another blow.
“They will have flights to London and all the subsequent costs, including hotels that they will have to pay for,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
Brittany West’s parents, Paul and Audrey West, from Newcastle, had been guiding a group of 33 vacationers through Israel for about two weeks when the attacks began.
Ms West said although her parents and most of their group had returned safely to Australia, five of them were still stuck in Israel.
For many Australians still in Israel, they were unable to get a good night’s sleep last week and the uncertainty of when they will return to Australia has only added to the stress.
On top of that, a few nights’ accommodation and meals in London won’t come cheap.
The Australian government confirmed on Friday that a Qantas Airbus A830 would transport those from London to Sydney via Singapore on Tuesday.
These flights will take those traveling to London on flights departing from Israel on Friday and Sunday. The Airbus has 484 seats. It is estimated that the flights leaving Israel will each accommodate around 220 passengers.
All flights will be free, with Qantas covering the costs.
Australians in Israel who are interested in these flights should register with the government’s 24-hour consular emergency center.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted DFAT for comment.
Pictured: Tour guide Paul West, pictured frontally, and other members of the group at a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv
