October 10th 2024.
The Australian government has made the decision to reduce the number of mercy flights for citizens who are currently in Lebanon, a country that has been ravaged by war. This is due to the fact that demand for these flights has been steadily decreasing. Since the start of the evacuation process, a total of 1988 Australians, permanent residents, and their family members have been successfully flown out of Lebanon. This has been made possible through the eight flights that have departed from Beirut and headed towards Cyprus.
However, the government has noted a decline in the number of people taking up seats on the evacuation flights scheduled for Wednesday. Out of a total of 660 available seats, only a little over half have been claimed. As a result, the government is now evaluating whether it is still feasible to continue with the assisted evacuation mission, given the low demand from Australians.
In order to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and other politicians have been consistently urging Australians who are still in Lebanon to take the first available flight out of the country. This call has been reiterated in parliament by Prime Minister Albanese, who stated that there should not be a single empty seat on any of the flights. He also emphasized that the government will not be able to sustain these flights indefinitely. The message to Australians in Lebanon is clear: please do not wait, do not assume that things will get better, and most importantly, come home and be safe.
Despite the decreasing demand for evacuation flights, there are still 3350 Australians and their family members who are registered and waiting to leave Lebanon. In an effort to accommodate them, two more flights are scheduled to depart from Beirut to Cyprus today. Additionally, two more mercy flights are set to arrive in Australia this evening. QR7424 will be landing in Sydney at 5:45pm, while ASY1270 is expected to arrive at 11pm.
In conclusion, the Australian government is closely monitoring the situation in Lebanon and taking necessary measures to ensure the safe return of its citizens. They urge all Australians in Lebanon to take advantage of the available flights and return home as soon as possible.
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