A new Defence taskforce is working on contingency plans to repatriate stranded Australians from the Middle East, but the government has stressed that commercial airlines remain the best option to leave the Middle East as airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi reopen for limited flights.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the government was exploring “a range of contingencies” for when airspace reopened, describing reports of limited flights leaving the area on Tuesday morning as “good news”.