Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J Hercules prepares to leave for the Middle East.
Photo: Kaye Albyt
A Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J Hercules is set to depart from Auckland’s Whenuapai air base on Saturday morning for the Middle East to help any New Zealanders who may be stranded by the US-Iran conflict.
Minister of Defence Judith Collins said the government’s immediate priority is supporting New Zealanders in the Middle East.
“New Zealanders in the region are still being advised to shelter in place, or take any safe and practical opportunities to leave.
“We are preparing a range of contingencies should evacuation operations become possible.”
Collins said Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular staff and two Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130J aircraft are being pre-deployed so they “can respond quickly when conditions on the ground allow”.
One of the C-130J Hercules aircraft will depart from Whenuapai on Saturday morning, and is joining another Hercules which Collins said is already in Asia and is being “re-tasked to support this effort”, and is being moved to an “on-going staging location”.
Collins said for security reasons she could not provide specific routes, timings or destinations, but said the aircraft were being positioned to ensure they were ready to assist with any evacuation operations should conditions allow.
Collins also urged New Zealanders in the Middle East to register with Safe Travel to stay updated on evacuation options.
Emirates resumes flights
Emirates said flights are gradually returning to normal after the partial re-opening of airspace in the Middle East.
The airline is running a reduced schedule while it works to restore its full global network.
It expected to return to full operations in the coming days, depending on airspace availability.
Around 30,000 passengers were flown out of Dubai on Friday, the airline said.
By Sunday, Emirates expected to operate more than 100 return flights a day to 83 destinations – about 60 percent of its network.
The airline said its full New Zealand service is now running again, with Christchurch handling both inbound and outbound flights to Dubai on Saturday.
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