Australian Aviation

The Australian government has asked both Qantas and the Middle Eastern airline to help repatriate citizens who have scheduled services free of charge. A RAAF C-130J Hercules and C-17 Globemaster are also assisting with efforts.

Justice Helen Rofe signed off on the settlement reached in May, which will see the Flying Kangaroo pay a pecuniary penalty of $100 million and compensate passengers up to $20 million in total.

The third-party employees were working for India SATS – the Flying Kangaroo’s ground handler in India – and used their positions to steal frequent flyer points from customers.

The 17-hour-trip service, paid for by the Flying Kangaroo, came after Australian citizens and permanent residents were first evacuated via separate charter flights from the war-torn country.

In total, 400 ADF personnel will work closely with members from the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), a defensive arrangement between the nations of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

The ‘refuelling point aviation’ will be used as part of Operation Render Safe, the ADF-led operation that aims to remove World War II-era explosives in Pacific island countries.