Virgin Australia And Qatar Airways Combine For Lebanon Rescue Flights

Just one week ago, Virgin Australia announced that its existing partnership with Qatar Airways would be expanded after Qatar Airways announced it intends to acquire a 25% share of the Australian carrier. While that deal has a few hurdles to go through before it’s done, the two airlines are giving the world a glimpse of how the partnership can help Australians in times of need.

Working together to bring Australians home

On Monday, Qatar Airways said it had agreed to operate special Australian government-assisted charter flights to repatriate Australians in Lebanon who wish to return home. The flights, which have been organized at the request of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), will depart from Larnaca (Cyprus) to Sydney via Doha, accommodating approximately 350 passengers on each flight.

Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER taking off shutterstock_699949021

Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock

The Australian government is organizing charter flights from Lebanon to Cyprus and is imploring those who want to leave to register immediately, with approximately 3,000 requests already logged. More than 15,000 Australian citizens are estimated to live in Lebanon, and the government is warning that if the airport is closed, the repatriation flights will cease.

Qatar Airways Boeing 777

Photo: Tatenda Karuwa | Simple Flying

The repatriation flights continue Qatar Airways’ ongoing commitment to assist stranded passengers and maintain essential connections between the global community and Australia, as it did so well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Badr Mohammed Al Meer said:

“Qatar Airways is committed to providing support to Australian passengers, ensuring their safe return home and we have placed these special charter flights on the request from the Australian Government to ensure we extend all the necessary support and assistance required to bring those stranded people back home to Australia.”

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The deal also proposes giving Virgin Australia access to widebody planes through wet lease.

Virgin Australia is ready for the final leg

Also quickly stepping up to the plate is Virgin Australia, which is offering free passage to those travelers not living in the Sydney area. The airline was just as generous when domestic airline Rex collapsed, carrying around 130,000 Rex ticketed passengers at no charge. Virgin Australia will provide free domestic flights for those not living in or near Sydney, using its Boeing 737 narrowbodies.

Virgin Australia 737-8

Photo: Sarah Aktag | Shutterstock

Qatar Airways (Qatar) is bringing the stranded passengers to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), with the first leg being from Larnaca International Airport (LCA) in Cyprus to Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH). On Sunday, October 6, flight QR7424 departed Doha at 22:11 and, after a 13:38-hour flight, landed in Sydney at 19:48 on Monday evening.

Qatar Airways repatriation flight to Sydney 6 October 2024

The flight was operated with a 2007 Boeing 777-300ER, registration A7-BAB and MSN 36103, the same aircraft that had operated the return service from Qatar to Cyrpus. The 777 had a quick turnaround in Sydney and departed at 22:27, taking about one hour longer to return home, landing in Doha at 04:49 on Tuesday.

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The Flightradar24 tracking data shows that A7-BAB left Doha Hamad International at 08:51 this morning and is scheduled to arrive in Cyprus at 12:01 and then depart again with another load of relieved Australians at 15:00. A second repatriation flight, A7-BAH and MSN 37662, left Doha on Monday night and arrived in Sydney on Tuesday at 18:13.

Qatar has operated QR7424 before

Almost twelve months to the day, on October 16, 2023, Qatar Airways used the same flight number on another mercy dash for stranded Australians in the Middle East. At the onset of the current war, Qatar flight QR7424 departed Dubai World Central International (DWC) to return 222 Australians home on a special flight, again a Boeing 777-300ER, this time registered A7-BAL and MSN 38244.

A Qatar Airways Boeing 777-3DZ(ER) about to land.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

While the whole repatriation effort will suddenly come to a halt if Beruit Airport is closed, as of the time of writing, Qatar Airways is readying for another two flights from Cyprus to Sydney via Doha, and Virgin Australia is equally ready to greet passengers in Sydney and transfer them home.

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