On Friday, Australia’s national flag carrier, Qantas, announced it would operate two free-of-charge mercy flights to rescue Australians wanting to leave Lebanon. Today, the first Dreamliner departed Sydney bound for Cyprus, where passengers are waiting after charter flights brought them from Lebanon to Larnaca.

The Qantas rescue mission is underway

On October 7, 2024, Qantas flight ASY1258 departed Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) at 07:03 (October 6, 20:03 UTC). The flight is being operated with a 2018 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registration VH-ZNC and MSN 39040, scheduled to land at Larnaca International (LCA) at 14:30 local time.

Qantas 787-9 VH-ZNC departing Sydney for Cyprus

Photo: Qantas

Qantas is operating two rescue flights. The second flight, ASY1270, is scheduled to depart Larnaca on Wednesday evening and arrive back in Australia on Thursday evening. These flights are being operated in cooperation with the Australian government, although Qantas is carrying passengers free of cost and not charging the government for the two flights.

Qantas 787-9 VH-ZNC departing Sydney Airport to Cyprus on rescue mission

Photo: Qantas

The return flight is expected to depart Larnaca on Monday evening with up to 220 passengers onboard and arrive at Sydney Kingsford Smith on Tuesday evening. Extending its humanitarian approach, Qantas will then fly passengers to their nearest home domestic airport that it operates to, again at no cost to those passengers.

A Qantas team of volunteers on their way

In addition to the four pilots and ten cabin crew, a dedicated team will be onboard to support the special assistance flight. This includes ground personnel, medical personnel, engineers and a specialized toolkit and parts in case they are required to help dispatch the aircraft in Larnaca.

Qantas 787-9 Repatriation flight to Larnaca flight crew

Photo: Qantas

The first aircraft, VH-ZNC, is one of 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in the Qantas fleet and has recently been operating nonstop flights from Perth to London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, as well as services from Sydney to San Francisco and Melbourne to Dallas.

Today’s flight is expected to take 18:05 hours to cover the 8,937 miles to Cyprus, while the return enjoys favorable winds with a flight time of 17:20 hours. This flight is slightly longer than the Perth-London service, which is the longest route on the Qantas network, although that will change when the Airbus A350-1000s start flying from Sydney to London and New York JFK.

Some comforting Red Cross support

Qantas has been a long-standing and valuable supporter of the Australian Red Cross, often flying Red Cross staff and volunteers to assist in times of need. Qantas is supporting their efforts to provide comfort and support to those returning home as well as carrying Australian Red Cross Trauma Teddies to give to all passengers on the two charter flights.

Qantas 787 Rescue flight to Cyprus is carrying Australian Red Cross Trauma Teddies for all passengers

Photo: Qantas

The Australian Red Cross will have personnel on the ground at Sydney airport to provide psychological first aid and other referral support for those returning home from Lebanon. Australia has a large population of Lebanese families, so there will be some very emotional scenes tomorrow at Sydney Airport when the first group of passengers arrive home, all courtesy of Qantas.

Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landing.

Photo: Joao Fachetti | Shutterstock

Here is the important advice on leaving Lebanon

  • Australians who want to leave Lebanon via Cyprus should register at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Crisis Portal on the website. If you have already registered with DFAT you do not need to register again.
  • For urgent consular assistance, Australians should continue to call the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 ( from overseas) or 1300 555 135 from within Australia.

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