How the federal government has chosen who can come home on repatriation flights

About 160 passengers will return home this afternoon on board the first of eight repatriation flights to Australia.

The government has been working with Qantas to bring stranded Australians home.

All passengers on board the London to Darwin flight were tested for coronavirus two days before departing and will need to return a negative result to be able to disembark this afternoon.

Federal Foreign Minister Marise Payne said all aboard the flight are “vulnerable Australians”.

“It may be their financial circumstances, their medical circumstances, their family circumstances, and as you say, their work circumstances,” she told Ross and Russel.

“Our focus is on this 4000 or so most vulnerable who had identified themselves with my department in September,” Ms Payne said.

Repatriation flights from New Delhi and Johannesberg are also planned.

“New Delhi in particularly is important.”

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