RAAF and Australian consular staff direct evacuees onto an RAAF C-17S transport at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Photo: ADF.
The Royal Australian Air Force has now conducted four evacuation flights of Australian and other foreign nationals from Israel.
Two flights departed Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport early on Tuesday morning Australian time (17 October) and landed safely in Dubai, with 194 passengers, comprising 98 Australians and 96 nationals from the Pacific region.
They add to the 255 people evacuated on Sunday on two RAAF aircraft and a government-chartered aircraft. The government has secured onward flights from Dubai back to Australia for evacuees.
The RAAF assumed the role under Operation BEECH after the security situation in Israel was deemed too dangerous for commercial carriers such as Qantas.
Qantas was originally scheduled to conduct a number of flights on behalf of the government from Tel Aviv to London, but news of the cancellation of these flights filtered out on Saturday evening as the security situation in Tel Aviv deteriorated.
The RAAF’s Boeing C-17A Globemaster III and Airbus KC-30A MRTT are equipped with defensive systems to identify potential threats, such as anti-aircraft missile systems. Military crews are also trained to fly more aggressive approach and departure profiles to keep the aircraft above the range of small-arms gunfire.
The C-17A is a large cargo transport that can take-off and land in short distances and is equipped with fold-down or removable palletised passenger seating in the large cargo hold. The KC-30A is a modified Airbus A330-200 airliner with a standard passenger cabin layout on its main deck.
Both aircraft are fitted with Large Aircraft Infra-Red Counter Measures (LAIRCM) systems that can identify and track incoming missile threats, allowing pilots to make evasive manoeuvres.
RAAF personnel load luggage for an RAAF KC-30A at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Photo: ADF.
In a release on Monday (16 October), Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said, “The safety of Australians impacted by this conflict is paramount for the Australian Government.
“The activation of two Defence aircraft provides critical options for Australia as the conflict in Israel continues to evolve,” he added.
“Australian nationals and visa holders who wish to leave Israel should ensure they are registered with DFAT via their crisis portal.”
Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong added, “We continue to consider options to assist Australians who want to leave Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We encourage Australians who want to leave to take the first option available. Do not wait for a different option”.
This morning, Mr Marles said the aircraft would remain in the region as a contingency.
“We don’t have any more flights planned,” he told 2GB.
“I should say there have been empty seats on a number of these flights over last night and the night before. It was slightly better last night in terms of the people taking up the offer of using the flights, but we don’t have any more planned.
“We will be keeping Defence assets, RAAF planes, in the region depending on how this obviously all develops. So, there is a presence that we’re going to maintain for a contingency, but there aren’t any more planned flights at this stage.”
Australians in the affected areas who want to leave and need assistance should register via DFAT’s Crisis Portal, or by calling the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia).
Original Article published by Andrew McLaughlin on Riotact.
